


Qwasers and Karaoke

by Wherever_Girl



Category: Seikon no Qwaser | The Qwaser of Stigmata
Genre: Gen, Humor and Angst and Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:22:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21808861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wherever_Girl/pseuds/Wherever_Girl
Summary: (Another work from my old account; original title "Qwasers VS Marias"; co-written by Dinobot King on Fanfiction)TW: Includes child abuse/abandonment.Mid-Sequel to "Personal Space". After the incident involving their last encounter, Sasha is undergoing punishment while Joshua is put under surveillance. But things get worse for the two when they end up causing a scene at the school festival! ...It doesn't help that their Marias are working against them!With nightmares to endure, songs to sing, references to other fandoms, and heavy feels, it becomes a week none of them will ever forget.
Relationships: Joshua Phrygianos/Yamanobe Tomo, Mutsumi/Tasuku, Oribe Mafuyu/Sasha
Kudos: 1





	1. The Lament of Sasha the Martyr

**Author's Note:**

> I’m back with a new story!  
> *gun clicks*  
> HOLD YOUR FIRE, THIS ONE IS A REQUEST! …Actually, it’s more of a collaboration.   
> This is also a sequel to my one-shot, Personal Space, so before you read this story I recommend you read that one to avoid confusion.   
> I want to thank Dinobot King (aka guest-reviewer Victor) for this idea, and helping me out with all the details, as well as a couple character interactions (and telling me more about the SnQ series that I did not know). 
> 
> So without further ado, here is a new fic… which will also include a music number later on ;)
> 
> Sasha: I’m leaving. *runs*
> 
> Me: Get back here! You’re the main focus this time! *gives chase*
> 
> Disclaimer: All characters belong to Haruyuki Yoshino; plot belongs to Dinobot King; songs used belong to their respectful artists; and I own my ideas.

_~SnQ~_

Sasha was in a dark room, not a single glimpse of light to be seen. Nothing but pitch black greeted him, and he saw no way out of the eternal night. _What is this? Where am I?_ he wondered to himself. He tried to summon his scythe, but nothing came to him.

And… for some reason… he felt smaller. He looked at his hands--- they were minuscule and his arms were lacking muscle. He was a tiny child again!

Then out of nowhere he starts hearing voices of a slender woman and a muscular man. "He won't survive in this life!" Said the female voice.

"I should've beat the crap out of him when he first started to walk!" came the man’s voice.

  
 _Mother? Father?!_ Sasha thought in disbelief.

“How disappointing… he couldn't even defend anyone. Let alone he didn't even bother defending himself when Olja stood up for him!” his father scoffed with malice.

“And look where she ended up. Dead because of the little run over pussy,” his mother sneered.

“Pitiful if you ask me.”

“A sorry excuse for a man!”

Sasha covered his ears trying to ignore his former parents’ words. _This isn’t real! This is just a dream!_ He told himself as he started running.  
  


But the voices only grew louder and louder, no matter what direction he ran. The voices of disapproval, cruelty, and venom.

The voices of those who abandoned him at that God-forsaken facility.  
  


“It’s no wonder the next one needed a REAL MAN,” the father continued to plague.

“Ha ha, and he has the weakest powers of all! Yet the brat still couldn’t measure up to him!” the mother taunted with a cackle.   
  


“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Sasha finally shouted, though his voice was small. “You’re not my real parents! You… You abandoned me! Threw me away! You have no right to say these things!”

“You’ve failed them… just like you failed Olja… You’re a failure…! Failure…! FAILURE!” the voices echoed together, and Sasha felt his head spin. “YOU’RE A FAILURE, ALEXANDER…! ALEXANDER…!”

“No--- no--- NOOOOO!”

“Alexander!”

…

“Oi! Alexander! Wake up!”

Sasha gasped, waking up and seeing Joshua Phrygianos standing by his bed, the older Qwaser shaking his shoulder. “What the…? Get off me!” Sasha snapped, slapping his hand away. “What do you want?!”

“You were… doing it again,” Joshua said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Having a nightmare,”

“Tch. Just a stupid dream. Nothing to get worried about,”

“But… you were crying this time,”

Sasha paused, looking at Joshua. He shook his head. “It was nothing! Why are you in my room anyway?!”

“You’re room is right next to mine! I could hear you tossing, turning, and crying out clear as day!”

Sasha crossed his arms. “Just go back to your room, Roentgenium. It’s too early for your nonsense,”

Joshua sneered. “For your information, it’s not exactly early. It’s---“

The door opened just then, and Mafuyu walked in. “Sasha, get up! We’re going to be late---!” she began to holler, pausing when she saw Joshua. “Oh! Good morning, Joshua-senpai. I thought you were awake already. All your siblings are downstairs,”

“Oh, shit! I still need to make their lunches!” Joshua gasped, bolting out of the room. “Thanks, Mafuyu-san!”

Mafuyu shook her head, smiling. She had to admire the older-brother’s responsibility towards his little siblings. She turned to Sasha, seeing he was still sitting in bed. “Well? Are you getting up, or do I have to drag you out?”

Sasha rubbed his temples, mumbling to himself. “Alright, alright. I’m up,” he muttered, throwing the blankets off.

Mafuyu studied him. Something wasn’t right. His eyes looked red, as if he had been crying. “Sasha, are you alright? It looks like you’ve been crying…”

The Iron Qwaser groaned. “I’m FINE. Probably from lack of sleep after the regime everyone put me on…” he groused.

Mafuyu sighed. “If you say so… Just hurry up and get dressed. You’re punishment is long from over,” with that, she exited the room.

Sasha clenched his fists. _Why am I being punished, again?_ He thought, thinking back…

_~Three Weeks Ago~_

Sasha was in the chapel with the rest of the current members of the Athos of the St Mihalov Academy. In the center was Numika, also known as ‘Big Ma’am’, the enforcer of the Athos.  
  


“You wished to see me Numika?” Sasha asked, albeit a bit nervous. Big Ma’am was known for her military might and strict conditions.   
  


“Yes, Sasha. We have strict disciplinary actions we must discuss,” Big Ma’am responded, calm but stern; a glint in her eye showed she was looking to bring down the hammer on someone… and since she was looking right at him, the silver-haired teen felt his blood turn cold.

  
Sasha looked around the room and saw he wasn’t the only one present in the chapel; everyone he knew--- Mufuyu, Tomo, Joshua, Jita, Hana, Katharine, Elizabeth, Theresa,Yuri, Mutsumi, Tasuku--- plus many other members that were stationed in Japan, were standing nearby.

It was clear this was an intervention.   
  
“Sasha the Martyr, iron user of the Athos, you stand on trial of the attempt at assaulting an unarmed person, unintentionally of the former Qwaser of the Adepts, without good reason. Furthermore---“ Yuri was stating.

  
“But I was following procedure! Due to the fact that the Adepts pulled multiple attacks, I had a reason to be suspicious of---!” Sasha tried to argue.   
  


“SILENCE!” Big Ma’am ordered, her voice shaking the room (Joshua flinched, holding Jita… who pushed him away with an annoyed look). “You hold your tongue, Alexander Von Hell, or you’re gonna be getting a heaping-helping of that surname of yours!”

Sasha felt a source of anger and humiliation from the very Maria with piercing blue eyes. He could tell that Mufuyu is demanding him to behave, and stop acting like a hotheaded brat. “Forgive me Master I shouldn't have yelled nor try to rationalize my actions,” he murmured, feeling a weight on his shoulders.

  
“That’s more like it. Go ahead, Yuri---excuse my apprentice’s outburst,”

  
Yuri cleared his throat. “You've also vowed to protect Tomo due to your emotional dedication of protecting her… as she looks somewhat identical to your surrogate sister. Am I correct?”

  
Sasha felt himself freeze. He looked around the room--- now EVERYONE knew. He looked at Katje, a smug look on her face; Hana was arching an eyebrow; Mafuyu, Tomo and Teresa already knew… everyone else was just giving him questionable looks. Only Joshua and Jita exchanged glances, a look of sympathy on their faces.

  
“Answer the question Sasha. Or we'll have to resort an even aggressive punishment towards your obsession.” Big Ma’am ordered.

  
Sasha let out a breath, head hanging low. “Yes those were my intentions.” He admitted. He heard a few murmurs in the room, but forced himself to tune them out.

“I’m glad you’ve decided to admit the truth. It is the best way to reach closure,” Yuri turned to the group. “Next, we shall hear from Tomo.”

Sasha cringed. The last time Tomo spoke to him, she was biting his head off in her defense for Joshua. _“I’m not Olja and I never will be!”_ she had shouted that day, the words piercing his heart.

Tomo took a deep breath, walking forth. “Sasha, you and I are good friends, and it means so much that you want to protect Mafuyu and I… but to know you’ve been looking out for me so much because I remind you of Olja… well, I just don’t know how you really felt. I didn’t know whether you truly cared about me, or if you just wanted to make up for losing someone you love,”

“T-Tomo…!” Sasha gasped, wincing. “That’s not it! I mean… you do look like Olja… but… I still care about you for who you are. I just didn’t want to lose anyone else… Please forgive me, for hurting your feelings.”

“Oh, bullshit! He’s just saying that to get off easy!” Hana called.

“SHUT IT, BRAT, OR YOU’LL BE CLEANING TOILET STALLS FOR THE NEXT SIX WEEKS!” Big Ma’am shouted, making Hana regret speaking out of line.

“I forgive you, Sasha… but I don’t want you comparing me to Olja anymore. I should apologize to you--- and everyone--- as well. I didn’t say anything about Joshua-sa--- er, senpai, because of his relation to the Adepts, and I was worried he would be hurt before anyone gave him a chance,” Tomo said, having a sad look in her eye. “…worried that YOU wouldn’t give him a chance,”

“I’m sorry…” Sasha whispered.

Joshua cleared his throat. “M-May I say something?” he asked, albeit cautiously so not to invoke the Wrath of Big Ma’am upon himself.

“Speak up, Successor of Hermes-Trismegistus,” Yuri permitted.

Joshua walked forth. “I want to say… I’m not angry at Sasha for his actions--- granted I’m still sore, but I know he had reasons to act the way he did. Having younger siblings myself, I wouldn’t exactly trust someone from enemy lines around them either, and Akari---“

“Tomo,” Tomo whispered.

“---sorry--- is right, we should have spoken to Athos right away, rather than keeping it secret for so long. Honestly, we only met up so Tomo could tell me how Jita was doing,”

“(Dumbass),” Jita muttered under her breath.

“When I found my sister was in good hands, I was relieved. As for Tomo… well, I knew she was a friend I could count on since the beginning. She was willing to die just to protect her friends, she saved my sister from execution, and… well, that’s when I decided this was the side I should be on--- that I didn’t have to fight the Adepts on my own. …Again, I can understand Sasha’s actions--- he didn’t get to know me the way Tomo did, and with our secret interactions he had a right to be suspicious.”

“But he had no right to attack an unarmed person without question,” Yuri stated.

“Well… he wasn’t the only one. Mafuyu hit me pretty hard, before asking me questions--- but, again, as an older sibling I can understand her reasons!”

“Yeah, ‘cept she didn’t try to decapitate you in blind fury,” Big Ma’am threw in. “What’s the point you’re getting at, Phrygianos?”

“I just want to say, whatever Sasha’s punishment is, go easy on him. I should have been more up-front about my actions and proven my trust, so I share the blame.”

Sasha looked at Joshua. Just the other day he almost killed this guy, yet he was speaking on his behalf? _Is he just trying to get on my good side?_ He wondered.

“Joshua Phrygianos, I admire your speaking, yet you are still under surveillance alongside your sister until we see how sincere you are about joining us. The rest of your siblings will be allowed to stay and have their educations funded here at the Academy, so long as you show no signs of deception. As for punishment---“

“Oh! May I suggest something?” Tomo spoke up eagerly, then whispered into Yuri’s ear.

“Really? Hmm. Very well, I suppose that’s fair. …At Tomo’s request, Joshua, your punishment will be to prepare meals for your hosts for a month.”

“Seriously?! How are we sure he won’t poison them?!” Katharine sneered.

“Did we ask for your input?! No! If anyone else speaks outta line, you’ll ALL be on kitchen-duty until graduation!” Big Ma’am hollered. She turned to Joshua. “As for the whole ‘poison’ risk… If anyone drops dead, you’ll be the first suspect, Phrygianos!”

Joshua shakily gave a salute. “Rest assured, I’ll prepare the meals so no one even suffers stomach-aches!” he promised. “Like I said, I’m with Athos now, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help you all defeat the Adepts and provide safety for everyone,”

“Now that that’s settled, let us get to Sasha’s punishment.” Yuri spoke up, turning to Big Ma’am. “Numika, you said you already had something in mind?”

 _Oh, shit._ Sasha thought, bracing himself for the worst.

  
Big Ma’am grinned. “Sasha the Martyr, for the next month you are ineligible for any future missions--- Katje, Tasuku, and Elizabeth will be taking your place for patrols. You'll be grounded under the household of Mufuyu Oribe and take up chores-- such as sweeping, cleaning, and whatever else she assigns to you, and you are to oblige without argument. After you’re done with your daily routines, you will train for two hours under Teresa’s supervision, and meditate for five hours after breakfast. And finally…”

Sasha stood there, waiting for the worst…

“You are not allowed to take any soma until the end of the month.”

There were a few gasps from the others… though Tasuku gasped the loudest. “A whole month without soma?? I wouldn’t even last a day!” he whispered.

“Damn, talk about rough,” Jita agreed.

“He’s going to crack--- someone be sure to get it on tape,” Miyuri snickered.

“Then it is settled. Sasha will do all this for a month. If we hear any negative reports from Mafuyu or Teresa, his sentence shall be extended.” Yuri said, and the meeting was adjourned.

Sasha at the moment only stood there in shock. _I can’t take part in missions, I can’t have soma, and I have to do chores…?_ He thought, feeling lightheaded, and groaned as he walked out. He looked over at Joshua and Tomo--- the purple-haired girl linked her arm with his, smiling up at him, and the silver-haired teen felt his chest grow tight.

_This is all your fault…_

_~Present~_

Sasha, as his punishment went, ate his breakfast; afterwards he did the dishes and went to meditate while the others went to school, Teresa only staying to keep an eye on him.

His only worry was how Mafuyu and Tomo were faring without his protection.

…

“Joshua-senpai!” Miyuri exclaimed at the front of the school, running up to Joshua. “Katje, Hana and I loved that dessert you made the other night! It was wonderful!”

“Oh, thanks Miyuri,” Joshua said, blushing a bit. Since his coming to the Academy, Miyuri had been quite hospitable towards him and his siblings.

Actually, hospitable was an understatement. Upon hearing that he and his siblings lived in poverty… well, her first action was to go out and buy new clothes for them all, and treating them all to a nice meal (that is until she learned what a good cook he was). It was nice, but he assured her she didn’t have to give them charity.

His only request: she be nice to Tomo and Mafuyu. “Tomo’s my Maria, and Mafuyu is her sister, which makes her my friend as well. As your senpai, I want you to treat them with as much respect as you’d treat yourself.” He had said.

She obliged, though he didn’t know whether it was because he was older than her (as students in Japan were to give their senpais proper respect, he heard), because he used to live with the Adepts and if she did anything to upset him he could turn the tables, or if she just pitied his humbled living… or maybe she just loved the desserts he made.

In any case, Miyuri treated him as a good friend, and--- as the dean’s daughter--- promised to make sure his siblings were properly cared for.

“Joshua is a great cook,” Tomo beamed. “Ever since he started cooking for us, our taste buds have been dancing!”

“Easy on the compliments, Tomo,” Mafuyu chuckled. “But I must admit, it’s been nice having someone else do the cooking…”

“And Sasha’s left with the cleaning,” Miyuri said, having a sly kitty-grin on her face. “Gosh, maybe if more Qwasers fouled up, you’d have a house full of servants!”

“Very funny, Miyuri.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Tomo asked, looking ahead at a poster by the door.

  1. _MIHAILOV PRESENTS:_



_~MUSIC OF SPRING~_

_-Food-Dancing-Karaoke-Games-_

_Come partake in the annual Spring Event! Sing your heart out! Dance till you drop! Win prizes! Enjoy a banquet of the finest cuisine! Formal event, be sure to wear your finest attire!_

_STARTING NEXT WEEK!_

_…_

“SURPRISE!” Miyuri exclaimed at the top of her lungs, startling the others. “Daddy put me in charge of arranging the Spring Break festival this year! I decided to go all out, and help lift everyone’s spirits. It starts next Monday! There’s also going to be a Poetry Reading on Wednesday, in order to add a little class.”

“Oh! Mafuyu, we should sign up for that one!” Tomo said, seeing a sign-up sheet for certain events. “Writing poetry is one of our favorite hobbies!”

“I-I don’t know, Tomo…” Mafuyu said, blushing. “I mean, next week is the final week of Sasha’s punishment, and I’ll be busy making sure he---“

“Bring him along!” Miyuri cut in. “He has to do whatever you say, right? You can drag him to it, and he can’t make any comments!”

“It does sound fun,” Joshua said. “My siblings never got to attend anything like this before…”

Miyuri beamed. “I’ll rent a bounce-house too! I’ll make sure your siblings have the time of their lives, Joshua-senpai!”

“Er, thanks…?”

“What time does it start? I don’t want it to interfere with any training,” Mafuyu asked, looking at the time.

“It all starts at 7 pm, so it won’t interfere with our schedule,” Tomo said with an eager grin. “Come ON, Mafuyu-san! Sasha has been putting up with his punishment with no problems, he can tag along!”

“Oh… alright. But only for one night,”

“YAY! Let’s go shopping for outfits after school!”

“Hold it!” Mafuyu tugged her back when her sister almost sprinted off in excitement. She lowered her voice. “(Keep in mind, we only have a little time in the afternoon to do our own training while Sasha is busy,)”

“(What if we gave him an extra task to do? That way we can do our training, then go shopping),”

“(Like what?! We’d be lucky to stall him for five minutes before he got suspicious!)”

Joshua, having eavesdropped, leaned in. “(I could help),”

“EEK!” Mafuyu yelped, punching him by accident. “…Don’t do that!”

“…sorry…”

“Are you okay, Senpai??” Miyuri gasped.

“I’m fine--- I forgot, never sneak up on a kendo-student.”

“What are you three being so secretive about, anyway? Let me in on it!”

“It’s our own personal business, Miyuri-san. You don’t need to know everyth---“ Mafuyu began to say.

“No, Mafuyu, it’s okay.” Joshua cut in, turning to Miyuri. “We were trying to figure out a good time to plan a nice dinner for you, Miyuri. Since you’ve been so hospitable, I wanted to find a way to say thank-you, and Mafuyu and Tomo have offered to help me prepare, but we can’t seem to agree on a good time or place.”

“Oh! Really?? Well… how about Saturday night at my house? I’ll be busy helping set everything up so I’ll be in need of good nourishment then. And if you want to know what my favorite food is, it’s…”

As Miyuri went on, Joshua snuck a wink to Tomo and Mafuyu. Once Miyuri was finished listing her favorite appetizers, meals, and desserts, Joshua nodded and assured he’d do his best to prepare a good meal.

After that, they entered the building, heading for their classes. “Thanks for helping us dodge a bullet, Joshua… sorry you have to cook for Miyuri, though…” Mafuyu said, feeling a bit guilty.

“Well, she’s been helping out my siblings and I, so it’s the least I could do anyway. Plus…” Joshua looked around, making sure no one was listening. “(I didn’t want her spreading rumors about my idea),”

“What’s your idea?” Tomo asked.

“In order to buy you guys some extra time…” Joshua whispered to them.

Mafuyu’s eyes widened. “W-What?? Are you sure?! He’s still pretty pissed at you…”

“Exactly. He’ll have a hayday and won’t even notice how long you’ve been gone. Don’t worry--- Teresa will be around, so I’ll be alright.”

“Okay… but if he gets too rough, you come to me immediately!” Tomo said firmly. “I may not be Olja, but he wouldn’t dare get on my bad side unless he wants to go another month without soma!”

Mafuyu and Joshua both smiled; Tomo had grown much stronger since her training began. “Dang, Tomo, any fiercer and you’d be as gruff as Big Ma’am!” Mafuyu chuckled.

Tomo giggled. “You think so?”

“Er, speaking of which, unless we want to risk running laps for a week, we’d better get to class!” Joshua said, pointing at a clock.

…seeing they had 1 minute before the bell rang!

“Yipe!” the trio exclaimed, then shot off to class.

~SnQ~

That afternoon, Joshua put his plan into action.

He walked into the backyard, where Sasha was doing training techniques; Teresa stood nearby, watching him. Sensing another, she turned and looked at Joshua curiously.

“*ahem* …Alexander?” Joshua spoke up, trying to keep his nerves under control.

“I’m busy, Roentgenium.” Sasha sneered, not even looking his way.

“I know… I was wondering… ah…”

“Spit it out. I don’t want to waste my next two hours listening to your stammering,”

Joshua took a deep breath. “Sasha the Martyr… I want to train with you,”

Sasha paused, his back to the older Qwaser.

All was still a moment. Teresa’s puppy-eared locks perked up in anticipation, though her face remained stoic.

After a moment, the Iron Qwaser turned to the Successor of Hermes-Trismegistus. “Is that so…?” he said, and from the tone in his voice, Joshua felt he may regret his decision.


	2. How To Ruin a Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Jan Phrygianos is my OC. There's a picture of him on my DeviantArt account ^^

~SnQ~

Mafuyu and Tomo walked through the store, bags in hand as they found some nice outfits to where for next week. Along the way, they came across Mutsumi. “Mafu-chan! Tomo-san!” She exclaimed, flirtatiously on that first part. “Fancy meeting you here!”

“Hi, Mutsumi-kun! Are you buying dresses for the Spring Festival too?” Tomo asked.

“Ugh, my school postponed our Spring Fest until the end of the month, but Miyuri-san invited Tasuku and I to attend yours!” She looked around. “By the way, have you’ve seen him anywhere?”

“EEEEK!” *SLAP!* “PERVERT!”

“…I’m going to guess over by the women’s changing room.” Mafuyu sighed, looking in the direction the shriek at came from.

Sure enough, Tasuku walked forth, rubbing a red hand-print on the side of his face. Mutsumi gave him a disapproving look. “…You could have told me you were done changing,” he muttered.

“You darn well knew I was done!” She retorted, having a sly smirk. “…darn sneak, watching me the whole time.”

Mafuyu blushed, covering herself. “I KNEW someone was peeping at us!” she slapped him next.

Thus when Tasuku noticed their company. “Ow… Konichiwa, Mafuyu-chan, Tomo-chan…” he groused. “If it helps my case, you made a great choice in dresses…!”

*SLAP AGAIN!*

“…obviously not…”

“Hmmf. I’ll handle him, you girls have fun with shopping! See you later!” Mutsumi stated, dragging Tasuku out by his ear. “(So, what kind of bra was Mafuyu wearing…?)”

Mafuyu stood there with a deadpanned look. “…I should complain about the security in this place,” she muttered.

Tomo patted her on the back. “Speaking of security, we should hurry home. I want to make sure Sasha hasn’t impaled Joshua in training!” she stated, a bit concerned.

Mafuyu nodded. “I agree… Although, with Teresa around, I’m sure things are going alright.”

“I hope so…”

~SnQ~

“OOF!” Joshua grunted, falling backwards after losing his balance--- though Sasha kicking him in the stomach didn’t help.

“Do you wanna give it a rest now?” Sasha asked, though it was clear he was somewhat enjoying this.

“N-Never…!” Joshua grunted, trying to lift the weapon he was given… that being a large battle-axe.

“Joshua-san, perhaps you should change your weaponry,” Teresa suggested. “That axe is too large and cumbersome for someone of your physique.”

“Maybe a push-pin would work,” Sasha quipped. Teresa looked at him--- despite her stoic expression he saw the look of intensity in her gaze, giving him the notion to keep remarks to himself for the moment.

Teresa turned back to Joshua. “Tell me about the skills you DO possess. Perhaps we can figure something out from there.”

“Well, I’m a Roentgenium Qwaser… which, doesn’t exactly help much… I’m good with cooking, as you’ve heard I’m sure, and I can take a lot of damage… a LOT of damage…” Joshua answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I see. Hmm.” Teresa pondered for a moment. “Let me speak with Lizzie--- perhaps she can suggest something. For now, let us try something outside of combat. You have the skill of Roentgenium--- since that is more of a chemical element than metallic, you can try fusing it with Sasha’s power to see what happens.”

“Are you kidding?!” Sasha responded. “It’s barely a stable compound! It would weaken me more than--!”

One more look from Teresa was enough to get the Iron User to cease his argument. “Um… I guess it’s worth a try…?” Joshua asked, still nervous.

“Very well. Practice doing so, your target will be this can.” Teresa stated, setting an empty can on a stump. “Begin.”

Joshua took a deep breath while Sasha sighed in bitterness, but the two of them practiced the combination. _If my scythe breaks, I’m going to bury this dumbass in the backyard,_ Sasha thought to himself as the fusion began.

Joshua… due to lack of experience… didn’t exactly know what to do. _Am I doing it right…?_ He thought as he tried to transfer his powers.

The result was… bizarre.

Perhaps it was because Sasha was lacking soma. Perhaps Joshua didn’t fuse with him right. Either or, the combination of Iron and Roentgenium not only caused Sasha to stumble in his advance to the can… but his mind turned fuzzy and he found himself blacking out for a split second.

When his vision returned, everything seemed blurred. _“Alexander…! …What happened…? …Wrong…?”_ came a voice, and he looked up…

Seeing his father’s face.

“Y… You…! Get away from me…!” Sasha gasped, trying to resummon his scythe but felt his muscles go weak. “Stupid… Roentgenium messed me up…!”

“ _Stop… not that strong…” hands grabbed his wrists._

_“LET… GO…!”_

_Then everything went black._

…

Joshua watched as Sasha fell on the ground. “Alexander! (Oh no…) Teresa! What happened? What did I do wrong?” he cried as he rushed over to the Iron Qwaser.

Sasha looked up at him, but his eyes looked glazed. “Y… You…! Get away from me…!” he snapped, waving his arms limply at the Qwaser. “Stupid… Roentgenium messed me up…!”

Joshua gently grabbed his wrists. “Stop. I’m sorry, I’m not that strong. But I---“

“LET… GO…!” Sasha yelled… before passing out.

“Alexander…? Alexander! Oh shit, I think I killed him…”

“He’s just unconscious.” Teresa assured Joshua. “With all the training he’s been doing and the lack of soma, trying a new combination must have affected his system.”

Joshua winced. “…it’s my fault, that’s the jist of it.”

Teresa looked at him. “If you feel bad, carry him inside and lay him in bed, then prepare a meal for him.”

Joshua nodded, picking up Sasha. Carrying him in, he noticed how light he was despite being a powerful Qwaser. He reminded him of his youngest brother in such a way…

He was lying him down when Tomo and Mafuyu came running in. “Teresa told us everything! Is Sasha alright?” Mafuyu wheezed.

“He’s still unconscious,” Joshua answered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I never fused my powers with anyone before… maybe he was right. I did weaken him.” He walked out, head hanging low. “I’m sorry…”

The two girls exchanged a look, before turning their attention to Sasha. Beneath his eyelids they noticed he had a large case of REM, as if whatever dream he was having was causing him trouble.

“I’m really worried about him,” Mafuyu sighed as they walked out.

“Me too…” Tomo replied, but gave a half-hearted smile. “But… the week is almost over. I’m sure things will get better soon!”

~SnQ~

_~That Wednesday~_

Things… definitely weren’t improving.

For starters, the group forgot about Saturday’s dinner with Miyuri, who in turn confronted them Sunday morning demanding an explanation. Joshua, once again, came to the rescue, confessing he forgot all about it namely because he wasn’t feeling very well (which was true--- feeling guilty about Sasha collapsing, the older Qwaser had spent the weekend moping). Miyuri forgave them, but vowed they WOULD repay her.

Monday came along. Lizzie decided to help Joshua find a better weapon, lending him an imitation-sword to practice with--- after coming close to, had the blade been real, cutting his own head off, Lizzie suggested they search for something smaller. In the meantime, she asked if he would like to practice fusion with Excalibur, but the Roentgenium user was too afraid to try again.

Tuesday had been a drag. Sasha was being beyond a pain in the neck… though Mafuyu nor Teresa could say anything as he wasn’t breaking any rules. No, he mainly gave everyone the cold shoulder, not speaking to anyone and--- outside of Teresa’s supervision--- kept to himself. Mafuyu tried to talk to him, wanting to know how he was feeling and if everything was alright, only for the Qwaser to ignore her.

It was days like this that really made enjoying the Spring Festival difficult.

“Why not just order him to tell you what’s wrong?” Katje scoffed that day at the festival, as she and Hana stood backstage with the two sisters. On stage now were a couple male students trying to do a two-man juggling-act with bowling pins.

“Because forcing him to share his feelings will only make him feel worse,” Mafuyu replied, tying her hair up in a stylish, curled ponytail; she was wearing a dark-purple sleeveless dress with a matching transparent sash loosely tied around the waist, the color fading to a lighter color from the bottom to the top.

“Maybe he’s not feeling well. He hasn’t exactly been getting around much,” Tomo guessed as she tied a white ribbon in her hair, which she had crimped to give it a wavy design; she wore a blue-and-white dipped dress with frilly straps that hung off her shoulders.

“I think he’s just being a stubborn asshole,” Hana commented, hands on her hips. She was wearing a black, tight dress which exposed her back, with a matching choker.

“HEADS UP!” came a shout from the stage.

*BONK!*

A stray bowling-pin flew through the air and hit Hana in the forehead. “Great reflexes, dumbass.” Katje scoffed, looking at her slave (…who probably couldn’t hear her due to unconsciousness.)

“U-Um, that was Ryo and Jun with their juggling act…!” Miyuri announced, rushing to the stage to stop the act before anyone else could be knocked out. She had her hair in a low ponytail that hung off her shoulder, and wore a violet-dress with matching gloves, reading a card. “Up next is Lizzie and Jita, reenacting a short scene from _The Princess Bride!”_

“Why did I agree to do this again?” Jita asked Lizzie as they walked to the stage. Jita was wearing a sparkling black dress with a matching shawl, her hair done up as she usually has it.

“I told you, Teresa was busy with Sasha and couldn’t rehearse the lines, and I promised you we’d visit a secret hot-spring later,” Lizzie said with a wink. She was wearing a white dress-shirt with black pants.

Jita sighed. “Fine… but do we really have to do the kiss?!”

“Relax! It’s all part of showbiz! C’mon!” Lizzie pulled her on-stage.

“That blonde tomboy had better watch what she does with her lips…!” Joshua sneered, coming backstage to watch. He was wearing a nice tuxedo. Behind him stood a young ten-year-old boy wearing a nice dress-shirt, black pants, and a black suit-jacket, holding a stuffed puppy.

“Joshua, there you are! Are you here to perform?” Miyuri asked giddily.

“Um, n-no, I heard Jita was performing so I’m just here to watch,”

“I see,” The pink-haired student put her hands on her hips. “Well, performance or not, you should have combed your hair!”

“We tried. Watch.” Tomo said, combing down Joshua’s hair so it was slicked down…

*Poof!*

It fluffed up again. With a *doink* the strand up top popped out.

Miyuri blinked. “…Remind me to recommend my stylist to you later,” she then looked at the boy behind him. “Oh! Is that your little brother I see??”

“Yes, it is.” Joshua replied, stepping aside. “You remember Miyuri, Jan.”

Miyuri knelt down, beaming. “Nice to see you, Jan-chan! How do you like the festival? Are you having fun?”

Jan hugged his stuffed animal, giving a sheepish nod.

“Hi, Jan! Nice to meet you!” Katje said, going into her sweet-performance. Jan gave her a nod in greeting. She looked up at Joshua. “He doesn’t talk much, does he?”

“Jan never speaks. He’s so quiet, we have to look around the house to make sure he’s there!” Tomo giggled.

“He’s… pretty shy.” Joshua said, patting his brother on the head. He pointed over at the bounce-house not too far off. “Jan, why don’t you go play?” Jan shifted, then held up his stuffed puppy. “…Yes, I’ll hang on to Gizmo for you,”

“C’mon, Jan~! We can go bounce around together, then go play games!” Katje exclaimed. “Hana-chan will carry all our prizes… _won’t you,_ Hana-chan?”

“Uh… _jawohl, mein fuhrer!..”_ Hana said, a bit dazed as she gave a salute.

Katje grimaced. “(…stupid bitch…)” Jan looked at her questionably, and she feigned a smile. “I mean, hee hee, lets go!” The two then took off.

Sasha came up backstage, watching the two kids run by. “…Your brother would be safer with a venomous cobra, you know that right?” he remarked to Joshua.

“Oh, shut up, Sasha!” Miyuri scoffed, crossing her arms. “Unless you’re here to perform, beat it!”

Sasha ignored her, turning to Mafuyu. “Can we leave now?”

“Tomo and I are about to go on! Why don’t you go play some games or have some snacks?” Mafuyu suggested.

“Yes! It’s fun and relaxing!” Tomo added.

Sasha only scoffed, sitting down on a box. “I’ll just wait until you’re done.”

Mafuyu threw her arms up in the air. “I give up… C’mon, Tomo, lets go get ready.”

“Good luck out there,” Joshua told Tomo, giving her a peck on the cheek.

“Hee hee, thank you!” Tomo beamed, following Mafuyu.

Miyuri turned to Sasha. “Maybe if you were that sweet, your punishment wouldn’t be so rough.” She commented with a smirk, walking off.

Sasha crossed his arms, looking away. Joshua felt awkward, thinking about finding a table to sit down and watch the performance at, or go find Jan once Jita was done and enjoy the festival with his siblings. Heck, he would even help with the catering at the buffet, if it meant he wouldn’t be in the same place as the Iron User!

Before he could even inch away, Tasuku came onto the stage. “Heeeey, it’s my fellow Qwaser-Boys!” he exclaimed. He only wore a casual blue jacket over a white shirt and black jeans, with a tie. “What are you two doing backstage?”

“I was about to lea---“ Joshua tried to state.

“Wondering why women are such a pain in the ass,” Sasha interrupted.

Tasuku rubbed his chin, sitting down on a box across from him. “Girl troubles, eh? What’s going on? Mafuyu laying on too many chores? Teresa pushing your training too hard? Katje being a brat?”

“They dragged me to this dumb festival, thinking it would help me ‘relax’,” he gripped his fist. “Idiots… they know there’s no time for games! A battle could break out here any second!”

“…all I could hear was, ‘I want soma, and I won’t rest until I get some!’, am I right?”

Sasha sneered. “Shut up, Magnetism.” He looked at Joshua.

The Roentgenium Qwaser flinched. “W-What…?”

“Tomo gives you her soma without you having to ask.”

“Um…?”

Sasha stood up, facing him. “Tell me. What is your method in such treatment? Mafuyu always puts up a fight when I want her breasts, yet Tomo gives hers to you willingly without question.”

“…isn’t that first part considered a form of rape?” Tasuku questioned. Sasha ignored him.

Joshua crossed his arms. “Obviously, it’s because I treat her decently. Unlike SOME Qwasers, I act like a gentleman towards my Maria.”

Sasha gave a deadpanned look. “You had a nosebleed two weeks ago because you walked in on her getting undressed in the bathroom, shouted ‘Holy sweetness!’ at the top of your lungs, then passed out with an erection. We STILL can’t get the stains out of the carpet!”

Joshua blushed. “I-It’s not my fault no one in that house locks the door!”

“…Can I sleep over at your place sometime??” Tasuku asked with a grin. The other two Qwasers shot him a warning-look. “…n-never mind.”

“Just tell me. What can I do to make it to where Mafuyu is less stubborn towards me?” Sasha asked Joshua once more.

“Well, first of all, try being nice.” Joshua scoffed. “Ease up on the attitude, treat her more as a friend than just your Maria! Give her compliments, listen to what she has to say, be supportive… you know, NOT be a jerk?”

Sasha grimaced. “I treat her with enough respect.”

“She told me you kept trying to grope her when she took you out on a date.”

“She allowed cats to climb over me and sit on my head! I was covered in cat hair for an hour!”

“See? THAT’S your problem! She tries to show you a good time, but all you think about are her breasts! You have to show more interest in the activities she introduces to you! …Like this festival! Make an attempt to enjoy it! Hell, she’s going on to read poetry now--- why not just sit back and listen?”

Sasha sighed. “…Fine. I’ll try to enjoy something ridiculous.”

…

On the stage, Jita and Lizzie gave a bow after their performance. “DO THE KISS AGAIN!” one student hollered from the front row.

“Shut it or you’ll get a diamond-sword up your---!” Jita began to snarl, before Lizzie ushered her off-stage.

“And that was Jita and Lizzie! Next, we have Mafuyu and Tomo, who decided to take turns reading their favorite poems!” Miyuri announced, the audience clapping as the two girls walked on stage.

“For my first poem, I chose a haiku, written by Otaka Sho,” Tomo announced. With a deep breath, she recited the poem:

_“Meeting is_

_One of the accidents_

_The sunshine at the beginning of the summer.”_

Tomo gave a bow as the audience clapped. Once they quieted, she turned and nodded to her sister.

Mafuyu cleared her throat. “My haiku written by Mayuzumi Madoka,” she said, then recited the poem:

_“I want to see_

_And meet you_

_With stepping on the thin ice.”_

The audience clapped again, Mafuyu giving a short bow before turning to Tomo to recite her next poem.

…

Backstage, Sasha arched an eyebrow. “That’s not poetry. That’s just a bunch of random sentences mixed together!” he scoffed.

“They’re called haikus, genius.” Tasuku replied. “Haikus are short sentences, put together to emphasize the feelings one has in their own heart--- some about fiery burning passion, others about the cold feeling of sorrow, some soothing as the warm spring, others calm like the cooling fall…” he smirked. “I read them to Mutsumi, she’s crazy about them!”

Joshua turned to Sasha. “Maybe that’s how you can reach Mafuyu, Sasha! Come up with a poem to express your feelings, and share how you feel about her!” he suggested. Sasha gave him a look, and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “…I mean, if you can come up with any…”

“What do you mean by that?! I can write poetry if I wanted to!” Sasha sneered. “I’ll recite a poem off the top of my head!”

“Okay, okay, calm down there. Josh-kun has a point--- a poem COULD score you points with Mafuyu,” Tasuku assured him. “Just think about what you love most about her, and go from there.”

Sasha thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Give me a minute.” He then began to write a poem down on the back of one of the festival fliers.

While he was doing that, a certain blonde-haired brat was taking note of the conversation, eavesdropping with a smirk.

After two minutes, Sasha stood up. “Okay, I’ve got it,” he said… not noticing a certain Copper-user was sneaking over to the control dash, flicking a switch as Sasha began his poem.

_“An Ode to Mafuyu…”_

At this point, Mafuyu and Tomo were just about finished, pausing when they heard Sasha’s voice echoing. The whole crowd paused, hearing the voice of the Iron Qwaser. “What the…?” Mafuyu sputtered quietly, listening to the poem…

_“You are a patch of red roses._

_The petals are soft and with the whiff that can make the mightiest of men fall to their knees._

_Your eyes are blue poisonous thorns that no other male would dare to touch._

_As legends says that the unique flower can only be touched by the flower’s soul mate._

_Most men died while attempting to pick the flower, none to prevail._

_I am a prince_

_Betrayed by a purple violet_

_Who distracted me with her lustrous petals_

_Yet I did not notice the weak stem she grew on_

_And lo, a weed took her away_

_Leaving my heart poisoned_

_So that only the dew of your sweet essence_

_Can heal me…_

_But alas, your use your thorns against me,_

_Not allowing me any of your precious nectar of which I wish to drink_

_Let me fill myself with your ambrosia_

_And forget the heartache of that wilting violet---“_

(“HOLD IT!”) Joshua interrupted Sasha, looking furious.( “Is that ‘violet’ supposed to be Tomo?! You dare compare my sweet Maria to a wilting flower?!”)

(“Tch. If she had more strength, maybe I wouldn’t.”) Sasha muttered. Tomo gasped, wincing.

(“She’s been getting stronger, training every day with Mafuyu! I’ve seen her make amazing progress!”)

(“Compared to a pathetic Qwaser like you, she must look like a samurai!”)

(“Why you---!”)

(“Whoa, Joshua, hold on!”) Tasuku interrupted, stepping between them. (“Calm down, no need to start a fight… Sasha’s just expressing his jealousy--- Tomo used to be HS Maria, then she dumped him, and Mafuyu won’t give him anything. I’d be pissed too, if Mutsumi didn’t give me her sweet breasts every night.”)

(“Shut up, Tasuku! Your girlfriend’s tits aren’t that big, so you have no right to brag!”) Sasha retorted. (“Hell, you should be pissed anyway! That slut of yours is always making moves on Mafuyu!”)

“What the…?!” Mutsumi, who was standing by the buffet in a white-and-green dress (which exposed quite a bit of her cleavage), turned upon hearing that comment. The whole festival was listening at this point!

(“Oh, so TOMO can get away with molesting Mafuyu, but if my angel does it it’s a problem?!”) Tasuku retorted. (“I don’t see why Mafuyu gets attention anyway--- she’s a total bitch! And her and Tomo’s breasts aren’t even that great!”)

(“Mafuyu, maybe, but NO ONE beats Tomo! Stop bad-mouthing my girl!”) Joshua snapped. (“You can’t stand the fact that her breasts beat Mutsumi’s by 3 cups!”

At this point, both Mafuyu and Tomo were standing there in shock, red with embarrassment; Mutsumi’s eyebrow was twitching in fury.

(“Oh, yeah? Well, she’s still bigger than Jita! Yeah! That flat-chested sister of yours has NOTHING compared to my milk-maid! Any flatter, and she’d be Lizzie!”) Tasuku retorted.

(“Really? She said different when she kicked both your asses!”) Joshua sneered.

(“N-No fair! She caught us off-guard…!”)

Jita at this point was face-palming, wishing her older brother had kept his mouth shut; Lizzie was standing nearby with her arms crossed, trying to decide what kind of violent act to unleash upon Tasuku. Miyuri could only stand on the stage, stifling a laugh.

(“Whatever. Alexander, you were supposed to come up with a GOOD POEM, in the first place, not criticize our Marias!”) Joshua snapped. (“I told you to be nice--- comparing Tomo to Mafuyu is NOT NICE!)”

(“You said to express how I feel, and this is how I feel! And it’s like Tasuku said--- she’s a total bitch to me! I want Mafuyu to stop being stubborn, and I’m STILL pissed that Tomo became a soma-whore!”) Sasha groused.

(“Oh, you’re one to talk, Mister ‘I Suck Every Woman I Meet’!”) Tasuku scoffed.

(“Better than you, Captain ‘I Eat Out My Girlfriend Every Second’!”)

(“Speaking of which, would you PLEASE hold your late-night make-out sessions somewhere else?! It’s getting harder to explain to Jan what all those noises are!”) Joshua added.

(“That’s my own business, Sir ‘I Nosebleed At Naked Women’!”)

(“It’s not exactly your business if the whole town can hear you!”)

(“So says the guy who hollers every time he sees a girl’s bare ass!”) Sasha sneered. (“You have no control!”)

(“ ** _I_** have no control?! You kept trying to grope Mafuyu on a date! No wonder she’s always in a bad mood!)”

“(Hmph. She’s just a control-freak. She’s always getting in the way, trying to do things on her own! It’s no wonder Tomo is so weak--- she never lets her do anything!”)

(“TOMO IS NOT WEAK! And you’re no better! You only treated her like a dairy-cow, both you and Mafuyu sheltering her rather than helping her get stronger! She wanted me to KILL HER the night we met because she felt like she was useless!”)

(“Holy shit, really?! I mean, Mutsumi isn’t that strong, but at least I let her have a part in battle! …Even if she is pushy sometimes.”)

(“Yeah, and you still got your asses kicked by my sister!”)

(“SHE CAUGHT US OFF-GUARD!”)

“Mafuyu… I’m ready to go home…” Tomo whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

“That son of a….!” Mafuyu seethed.

Jan was tugging on Jita’s sleeve, having a concerned expression. “No, Jan, I won’t kill Joshua… (but someone might),” she muttered.

“Lizzie, hand me that knife. I’m going to cut off my boyfriend’s head…” Mutsumi sneered.

“Don’t you want a sword for that? It cuts through the neck better,” Lizzie asked.

“I meant his OTHER head…!”

“This is better than the festival…!” Hana laughed, standing near Katje.

“Quiet, idiot!” Katje hissed.

Sasha paused, noticing the two girls standing near the dashboard, snickering… then he realized the festival had gone all too quiet, save for a few snickers. “Guys…?” he said, then realized his voice echoed.

“What?” Tasuku asked, then heard his voice echo as well.

“Oh, shit… don’t tell me…!” Joshua gasped.

“THE BACKSTAGE MIC IS ON!” The three boys shouted, then turned to run…

No such luck. Katje used her powers to knock over the backdrop, revealing the guys on the stage! Hana flicked a switch so that a spotlight shined on them.

It was at that moment the boys would be begging for mercy.

Tasuku froze. Joshua flinched. Sasha gulped, seeing Mafuyu and Tomo giving him heated glares before storming off. He sighed.

“(Someone do something…!)” Joshua hissed, nudging Tasuku, who for some reason had lost his cool.

“Eh heh heh… um… Good evening, ladies and gents! I hope you enjoyed this, ah, skit that we just made up for nothing more than comedic purposes!” Tasuku tried to ad-lib.

*SPLOT!*

A slab of cake hit him in the face! “Bullseye!” Lizzie exclaimed with a chuckle.

Following the Titanium Qwaser’s example, the whole crowd started throwing food!

“PERVERTS!” One girl cried, chucking a handful of cried rice at Sasha.

“PIGS!” Another girl shouted, throwing jello at Joshua.

“WOMANIZERS!” Another girl hollered, chucking an entire fried chicken at Tasuku!

“Whoa! Hey! Augh!” Sasha tried to dodge, but ended up slipping on salad and landed on his stomach. From this position he saw Mafuyu consoling a weeping Tomo, Lizzie laughing while throwing food at Tasuku, Jita face-palming in embarrassment, Miyuri Katje and Hana laughing hysterically, and Teresa looking at him in disappointment…

 _No… this can’t be happening…! Teresa, I’m sorry…! This isn’t my fault!_ Sasha thought, turning his eyes upward, and fury boiled within him as he looked at Joshua.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, PHRYGIANOS!” Sasha shouted.

“ _MY_ FAULT?!” Joshua snapped, having been shielding himself with a stunned Tasuku before pushing him away. “I just told you to write a poem, not complain about girls!” A meatball hit him and he turned to the crowd. “DAMMIT, PEOPLE, STOP WASTING FOOD!”

“If you hadn’t stolen Tomo away---!”

“She CHOSE me! …And the way you act, I can see why!” Joshua shoved Sasha.

Sasha swung to punch him, only to end up punching Tasuku. “…That’s it! NOW I’m pissed!” the Magnetic Qwaser snarled, and tackled them both!

In a dust-cloud, the three boys punched, kicked, bit, and wrestled each other. “Should we stop them?” Teresa stated.

“Let’s wait after they beat each other unconscious,” Mutsumi muttered.

Suddenly the stage began to shake; the three boys paused in their fight, as someone burst through the stage!

The crowd paused, silence falling.

All color drained from their faces at who appeared before them. “B-BIG MA’AM!” they cried.

Big Ma’am looked down at the three boys. There was a smirk on her face, but her eyes promised suffering. “Care to explain, or should I whoop your asses now?” she firmly questioned.


	3. Joshua's Tragic Secret

~SnQ~

“Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man…! How did this happen? Why did this happen?! We’re all going to diiiiiieeeee…!”

Those were the nervous words of Tasuku, who paced nervously around outside the office. He, Sasha and Joshua were ordered to wait quietly, while Mafuyu, Tomo, Teresa and Mutsumi spoke with Yuri about what had happened that afternoon at the festival.

The girls had been in there for almost an hour, and with every passing minute dread increased for the boys.

Joshua sat in a chair, staring at the floor. He had told his siblings to go home… adding he might be a little late tonight (as well as telling Jita where he kept his final will and testament, just in case).

The last week had been a disaster. First, he messes up his training with Sasha, and now he was accused of ‘orchestrating’ the Iron User to write an outrageous poem about their Marias… a microphone catching their heated argument and allowing the entire student-body to hear. Now, he was bracing himself for the final judgment.

“This is all your fault,”

Joshua sneered, glaring out the corner of his eye at Sasha, the 13-year-old leaning against the wall. “Keep telling yourself that, asshole.” He bitterly retorted. “I’m not the one who kept calling Mafuyu a bitch,”

“You made lewd comments,”

“We ALL made lewd comments, dipshit. In fact, we wouldn’t be in this mess if you kept your sexual desires to yourself and stopped calling Tomo weak!”

“She is weak! And having you as a Qwaser would deplete her soma, as much as you probably take!”

“You took it too! And she has no complaint about how I take it! I nurse her softly like a dove, not bite down on her nipples like a bloodthirsty animal like you did! AND, unlike you, I keep her health in check!”

“Oh, yeah, because fattening her up is REALLY healthy!”

“My food is not fattening!”

“Ha! Please, I’ve seen her hips increase in size! You probably like that, don’t you?! The fatter the ass, the more satisfaction your dick gets!”

“Her ass is just fine, and unlike you and Tasuku, I actually show some restraint!”

“…never to suck her breasts again, she won’t even let me look at her anymore I bet! Oh shit, what if they let Katje torture us!? I don’t want that blonde BDSM-brat anywhere near my ass! God knows what she’d stick up it---!” Tasuku continued worrying.

“SHUT UP!” Joshua and Sasha both snapped, making him jolt.

“Excuse me for worrying for my life! Because of you two, Mutsumi probably hates me!”

“Hmph. As loose as a woman she is, I doubt there was any love in your relationship in the first place!” Joshua sneered, pointing at both of them. “NEITHER of your relationships show any love! At least I chose Tomo to be my only Maria!”

“Oh, please! She always played with Mafuyu’s breasts!” Sasha sneered.

“That was before I came along! Back then, she probably didn’t have anyone to teach her the importance of _personal space_!”

“She also didn’t have anyone making her fat,”

“STOP CALLING HER FAT!”

There came the sound of a door creaking open, and the boys froze. They watched as, one by one, the girls walked out of the office--- none of them looked at the guys, keeping their eyes forward if not looking at the floor.

Yuri stepped forth, motioning the boys to come in. “Iron. Roentgenium. Magnetism. Come in here, please.” He said, his tone calm but firm.

Anxious about the punishment they would receive, the three teens entered the office. Yuri motioned Joshua and Sasha to have a seat, leaving Tasuku to stand near them; he sat down at his desk, taking a slow breath. “Yuri---“ Sasha tried to speak, but the Athos member raised his palm, silencing him.

“I am very disappointed with the behavior you have shown recently, Alexander Von Hell.” His gaze was cold and still. “From Teresa and Mafuyu’s reports, though you have followed our protocol, your attitude towards others has been inexcusable. And just this afternoon, you provoked a fight between Joshua and Tasuku.”

Yuri then turned to Joshua; a bead of sweat ran down his face, his eyes shaking with worry.

“As for your conduct, Phrygianos, I am very displeased. Though you have proven up to this point to be an ally, your character is once again is under questioning. Your fusion with Sasha caused him to go weak, and you have not put in any effort in your training as of recently. There was also the mention of a request for Tomo’s life to be taken by your own hands…”

Joshua paled. “S-Sir, I would never---!”

Yuri raised his hand, silencing him. “However, Miss Yamanobe--- once again--- spoke on your behalf; she admitted in the past she felt like a burden, and did not want Sasha nor Mafuyu to endanger their lives on her behalf and believed she would be better off dead… yet you managed to reprimand her, forbidding her to speak that way otherwise you WOULD take her life.”

There was a pause, and Joshua realized he was allowed to speak. “I… I would never harm Tomo. I know what I said, but… hearing her talk like that, it just--- I snapped! Having younger siblings myself, I would be devastated if I learned they would rather be dead…” he paused, tears forming in his eyes. “…just so I would stay out of danger…”

Sasha looked at him, both dismayed and stunned. He never heard the full story before…

Yuri continued. “As you have proven thus far, we believe Tomo is safe in your hands. However, she has made the request to forbid you from taking her soma, due to the embarrassment you caused her,” Yuri looked at Sasha. “Sasha shall also go without soma as well, until Mafuyu says it’s alright, or if there is a great emergency. If either of you make the attempt, or so much as request, you will be forced to wear a crest that prevents you from using your powers, feel aroused, or take soma.”

Joshua and Sasha flinched. Jita had such a crest on her chest--- every time she attempted to use her powers, she felt a wave of pain shoot through her body. “You’d put a crest on our abdomens just because we need soma?!” Sasha stammered.

“…I didn’t say it would be on your abdomens.”

Both boys nervously crossed their legs.

“Um, w-what about me?” Tasuku asked. “I-I don’t even go to this school…”

“Mutsumi had a suggestion.” Yuri sighed, looking as if he really, REALLY didn’t want to say it out loud. “She claimed… due to the fact you embarrassed her… you will not allowed (dear Lord, why am I saying this?) *sigh* ‘To eat her out, watch her undress, take baths with her, take her soma, or let her give you blow jobs until your punishment is carried out’.”

Sasha and Joshua arched eyebrows, looking at Tasuku… who looked like he just saw a horror movie. “W-WHAT?! NOOOOOOO!” he fell to his knees, face in his hands.

“What… about Numika? W-What did she have to say in regards to punishment?” Sasha asked, a bit pale.

Yuri stood, looking out the window. “Surprisingly, Numika claimed--- since your Marias were the most upset at your actions--- they would be the ones to come up with a suitable retribution, for each of you.”

“The girls… are going to punish us…?” Joshua thought; recalling the tears Tomo had in her eyes, he was afraid to think of what fate would befall them.

“Isn’t going without sex bad enough?!” Tasuku griped.

Yuri looked at Sasha. “However, Numika did have one suggestion on how to adjust your attitude,” he stated. “Until further notice… you and Joshua shall be sharing a room together, training only with each other, eating meals together, and even taking baths together. Teresa will make sure you do so, and if there is any sign of hostility between the two of you, your sentence will be intensified.”

There was sound of glass breaking as Joshua and Sasha developed shocked chibi expressions. “ME?! With HIM?!” they both shouted, pointing at each other.

“But he hates me!/I’m not sleeping in the same bed as him!/He’ll kill me the moment I turn around!/I can’t train with him he’s too weak!/He won’t eat any of my meals!/He nosebleeds everywhere!/Did you say we have to bathe together too?!” the two spoke at once.

“ENOUGH.” Yuri spoke, and the two fell quiet. “These are the conditions you must go by! And if either of you try to persuade or demand the girls revoke these rules, you will be forbidden soma for the rest of the year, regardless of circumstances!” he then looked at Tasuku. “As for you, Tasuku, you shall be training with them as well, just so we can keep your conduct monitored.”

Tasuku was on his hands and knees, still, sobbing. “No soma… no sex… fuck, what if she takes away my hentai collection, too?!” he was whimpering to himself.

“You will all obey these rules, until your punishment is complete. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir,” Joshua and Sasha said, their heads hanging low.

“Tasuku?”

“Yes…” Tasuku groaned, now laying face-down on the floor in despair.

“Very good. You may go now.”

Sasha and Joshua walked out (the older Qwaser dragging Tasuku by the heel out the door). Exiting the building, the trio looked like whipped dogs as they walked onward.

They looked ahead, seeing the girls speaking with one another, falling silent when they noticed the guys. Turning a cold shoulder, they walked onward.

If there was one thing the trio could agree on, it was one thing…

_We are so screwed…_

~SnQ~

*knock knock knock*

“Tomo? May I come in?” Mafuyu asked, standing by her sister’s door. It was late at night and the house was quiet… but she had to speak with her.

Tomo had been sitting on her bed, expecting this. “Yes, you may,” she answered, hugging her pillow.

The kendo-student walked in, shutting the door behind her. She felt uneasy, tense, outraged, and devastated all at once… but not because of what Sasha said at the festival, but what Joshua had said. _“She wanted me to kill her because she felt useless…!”_ he had shouted.

And Tomo had confirmed his words that night in Yuri’s office. “Tomo… why…” Mafuyu asked, tearing up. “Why would you think for a moment we’d be better off without you? What… What exactly happened that night to make you say something like that?!”

Tomo wiped her face on the pillow. She knew this was coming up. “Joshua had been holding me hostage… well, sort of. His plan was to take my soma so he could get strong and defeat the Adepts himself; when he couldn’t bring himself to do it, he said he would use me as bait and fight you and Sasha for the Sword of Maria.” She sniffled. “That’s when I got scared… I realized, since I couldn’t fight or wasn’t strong, I would just weigh everyone down. Even if Joshua wasn’t that strong, I knew someone else could carry out his plan.”

“T-Tomo… what made you think…?”

“Because you kept sheltering me!” Tomo interrupted, her voice cracking. “That night you, Sasha and Teresa went on patrol, you didn’t even let me go just because you thought I would catch a cold! I felt like a stupid child! I tried to cook supper to prove myself wrong… but that didn’t go well… that’s when Joshua came in--- he saw the smoke from the window, ran into the kitchen, and snapped at me for my poor cooking skills.”

Mafuyu grimaced. “He yelled at you just because you couldn’t cook? That’s---“

“He stopped me from putting water on a grease fire! He was mad because I could have burned the entire house down…” Tomo shook his head. “He took over the cooking when I wasn’t stirring the rice fast enough--- but he ended up making a great meal, and let me eat while he cleaned up the mess… Not because he thought I was too stupid, but because he had more experience. Yeah, he called me out for being an idiot, but that’s because… I really was an idiot.”

“Y-You’re not an idiot…”

Tomo gave her a look. “Mafuyu. After he cut me loose, I didn’t even make an attempt to put clothes back on. I walked right over to the fridge, exposing my bare ass to him without noticing! Even when he was approaching me with a weird look in his eye… I just stood there in confusion. I didn’t figure it out until you all burst in!” she sighed. “At the Adept’s castle, I didn’t know what to do… It wasn’t until Jita was in danger that something in my brain finally clicked, and I realized--- since the Adepts couldn’t hurt me--- I could do something to protect her. I finally felt like I could do something right!

“After Joshua and I met once more,” she continued. “I remembered all he had been through, and how I wanted to get stronger. So I started training, I started studying harder… I even asked him to teach me how to cook! I just…” she shook her head. “I just wanted to learn how to take care of myself, rather than let everyone treat me like a baby.”

Mafuyu sat back. “…because I was always shielding you,” she realized quietly. She shook her head. “But… he still had no right to say it out loud! P-People are going to think you’re suicidal now!”

“I don’t care what Joshua said… he was trying to defend me…” Tomo began to tear up again. “It’s what Sasha said!” she began to sob. “I-I do so much training, I-I try to help other people, but… he just thinks I’m a weak slut!”

Mafuyu hugged her, rubbing her back to console her. “Well… he thinks I’m a stubborn bitch everyone wants to grope,” she sighed bitterly. “I just don’t get him.”

There came a knock at the door. “Come in,” Tomo said. The door creaked open, and Jan poked his head in. “Oh, Jan-chan… what are you doing up?”

Jan handed them a piece of paper. It was a note. “’Joshua is packing up his things… is he getting kicked out? Will we have to move?’” Mafuyu read. She patted him on the head. “Oh, no Jan! You guys can still stay! Josh-kun will just be sharing a room with Sasha for a while!”

“Yes! Big Ma’am said it would help them get along better!” Tomo assured him.

Jan took out a notebook, scribbling another note. He handed it to Mafuyu. “’Jita won’t talk to him either. She called him a dumbass and slammed the door in his face when he tried to talk to her. Is everyone going to be mean to him?’” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Eh, well… your brother did say a few things that he shouldn’t have, and he _is_ going to be punished…”

Jan handed them one last note. “’I saw Katje and Hana by the control panel.’” Tomo read.

“So THEY turned the mic on… ugh, that little brat,” Mafuyu groused. She shook her head. “Well, microphone or not, those boys shouldn’t have said those things.”

“’How are they going to be punished?’” read another note Jan handed to Tomo. “Um… well, we’re still thinking about it.”

“Hold it…” Mafuyu gave Jan a suspicious glance. “Did your brother put you up to this?!”

Jan shook his head, then wrote another note. “’I just don’t want my brother to get hurt anymore,’” Tomo patted his head. “D-Don’t worry, Jan! We’re not like the Adepts--- we’re just going to teach the boys a lesson on why they shouldn’t say mean things!”

Another note was handed to Mafuyu--- she had to chuckle. “’Why not make them eat soap?’ …Ha ha, that’s a good suggestion, Jan-chan, but we may need something better. They did embarrass us in front of the entire school, after all…”

One more note… and this one was what gave both girls some inspiration on how to get back at the boys.

“’Why not embarrass them back?’”

Mafuyu and Tomo grinned. “…I’ll call Mutsumi, you go tell Teresa.” The kendo-student said, while the purple-haired student giggled and hurried out. “Thanks for the idea, Jan!” with that, she left.

Jan stood there, confused. Facing the audience, he held up a paper that read, ‘What have I done…? 0_o’

~SnQ~

_“You just couldn’t keep your big mouth shut, could you? Now BOTH girls hate you!”_

_“Both? How about ALL girls? No one will be your Maria now! You might as well get your soma from sucking cocks… or are you going to fuck that up as well?!”_

_Tiny Sasha covered his ears, trying to ignore the voices of resentment that were his parents. “Shut up! Leave me alone already!” he shouted at them, as he had done in every nightmare this week._

_“You were foolish enough to fuse your powers with a lesser Qwaser! You’re ten times as weak now!”_

_“He even said Tomo wished she were dead because of you! Perhaps he’s right!”_

_“Maybe YOU should die instead!”_

_“Yeah! If you died long ago, maybe Olja would still be alive…!”_

_“GO AWAY!”_

_“ALEXANDER!”_

Sasha gasped, sitting up in a cold sweat. He sensed someone near him and panicked, punching them… only to remember that, as of this night, he had to sleep with Joshua. “D-Dammit, Joshua! Don’t do that!” he snapped.

“…is this going to be a regular thing…?” Joshua muttered, rubbing his face.

Sasha groaned. “What is it? I was fast asleep!”

“Yeah… and crying in your sleep again. It’s been happening a lot lately, hasn’t it?”

Sasha only lied down. “None of your business! Go back to sleep… we have a long, harsh punishment to endure, and if I’m going to be sharing a room with you, I want peace and quiet!”

Joshua grimaced, turning on his side. “That makes two of us…”

Outside, Teresa was listening by the door; her puppy-eared ponytails drooped in sadness. _Alexander… what is haunting your dreams? Is it the reason behind your behavior?_ She thought in concern.

Tomo came up to her just then and whispered something in her ear. She nodded. “Very well. I’ll get there early tomorrow and sign him up,” she stated quietly.

~SnQ~

The next day at school, Joshua was walking by Jita. “…For the last time, I’m sorry, but I wasn’t going to let that pervert get away with those comments!” he was telling her. She ignored him. “I know you’re mad, but would you at least say something?!”

Jita paused, and looked at him. “You’re an idiot.” She stated, then walked onward.

Joshua groaned. He looked down at Jan, who for the whole morning at been biting his lip, looking uneasy. “Something on your mind, Jan? Anything you have to say?” he asked.

Jan, as if he were being interrogated, rapidly shook his head and ran on.

Joshua scratched his head in confusion. He hurried to catch up to his little brother and ask what was going on, until he noticed a lot of students gathered around the sign-up sheets for the festival… only rather than anyone jotting their names down, everyone was either giggling, gasping, or staring in disbelief.

Upon walking over to see what the commotion was about, Joshua’s expression matched the latter. “What… What the hell…?!” he sputtered.

Under Saturday Night’s ‘Karaoke’ sign-up, his name was written at the top of the list!

But it wasn’t the only one. Someone had written Tasuku’s name as well! “Can Tasu-kun even sign up? I mean, he doesn’t even go to this school!” one student asked.

“Miyori-san said he was welcome to participate,” another replied.

Joshua looked at the list once more. Twice more. There were only three names written down…

Three. Very familiar. Very regretted. Names.

_Joshua Phrygianos_

_Tasuku Fujiomi_

And… the cause of everyone’s shock and disbelief…

_Alexander “Sasha” Von Hell_

The bell rung, and the students hurried to their classes…

Save for Joshua, who only stood there, his mouth agape. _This can’t be happening…!_

…

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” Tasuku exclaimed on the rooftop that afternoon, once the news hit him. “As if it’s bad enough they’ve revoked our soma privileges, now they expect us to perform like trick dogs?!”

“…frickin’ women…” Sasha groused.

“I can’t believe it… I just CAN’T believe it…Why this? Just… Why karaoke?!” Joshua questioned.

“Oh, I’ll tell you why…!” came a voice, and the boys turned, seeing Miyuri walking forth! “Because of your slander, however hilarious it had been, you embarrassed all the girls in front of the entire school--- so now you have to suffer the same fate!”

“We didn’t mean for everyone to hear! Someone turned to mic on!” Tasuku argued.

“(And she’s going to get an iron pipe shoved down her throat for it),” Sasha muttered quietly, having a darn good idea on who it was.

“That does not matter! The girls decided you should do this, and failure to comply will result in a bad report to Athos!” Miyuri said, having a devilish grin on that last part. “So I suggest you go along with it…” She turned to Joshua. “This would also make up for the sudden cancellation on Saturday, Senpai… But, since you were the LEAST worse of the three, I figured you shouldn’t be humiliated as much and had the girls sign you up for Saturday’s karaoke competition, just so you would have time to practice.”

“Gee. Thank you.” Joshua said through gritted teeth, his eyebrow twitching.

Miyuri motioned them with her finger. “Now, follow me! We have costumes to pick out!”

“COSTUMES?!” Tasuku questioned. “The girls want us to wear costumes on stage?!”

“They’re really being cruel…!” Joshua stated in disbelief.

“Actually, it was my idea. They just approved it.” Miyuri said with a smirk. “Now, come along~!”

Sasha looked over the edge of the roof. “…I wonder if a fall from here would be enough to kill me.” He stated.

…

Down in the drama department, Miyuri led the boys into the costume room. Dread was all over their faces--- what were they going to be forced to wear? Clown costumes? Sexy maid outfits? Chicken suits?

“Let’s find some that would suit you nicely,” Miyuri said, looking through some racks and picking out some outfits. “Ooh! Try these on!”

The guys tried on the outfits. “…Are you sure we can wear these?” Tasuku asked.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t you?”

The boys stepped out… dressed as Spike Spiegel (Joshua), Ciel Phantomhive (Sasha), and Junpei Iori (Tasuku).

“Copyright strikes,” Tasuku deadpanned.

“Oh… um… okay, lets try these!” Miyuri handed them new outfits.

This time… the guys came out looking like Jacksepticeye (Tasuku), Markiplier (Joshua) and PewDiePie (Sasha).

“You’re kidding, right?” Sasha commented.

“Alright, alright, try THESE then!” Miyuri sighed, handing them one more set of costumes.

The guys walked out later… dressed as Sora (Sasha), Terra (Tasuku) and Axel (Joshua) from _Kingdom Hearts._

“Are you trying to start a lawsuit?!” Joshua demanded.

“Fine! We’ll find someone that DOESN’T involve cameo references!” Miyuri groaned… while somewhere the fourth wall broke.

At this time, Katje came in, and you just KNOW she’s going to do something to ruin the guys’ reputation the moment she shows up! “Whatcha doing down here, Miyuri-saaan?” she asked in her cute-tone.

“Oh hi, Katje-kun! I’m just trying to find the right costume for the boys to wear! They’re going to be singing karaoke Saturday night!” Miyuri told her.

Katje developed a grin so evil, even the darkest of anime villains would cringe. “Is that so? May ** _I_** help pick them out?”

All the guys developed shocked expressions, looking at Miyuri. _Say no, say no, say no, say no…!_ they all thought simultaneously.

“Sure!” Miyuri replied, because of COURSE she did!

Sasha slammed his head on a desk; Joshua face-palmed; and Tasuku fell to his knees again.

Katje looked through the racks… then found the flashiest, most colorful and 90’s-like outfits as possible. “How about THESE, Miyuri-san? Can they wear these? Pleeeeeaaaaaase?” she begged.

“Oh, those look pretty!” Miyuri said, then slammed the outfits into the guy’s arms. “PUT THESE ON!”

The guys groaned, but did as they were told, walking out in the colorful garb.

_(a/n: The picture is on my DeviantArt profile, She-Wolf91, for those of you who want to see XD)_

Miyuri giggled. “Excellent choice, Katje! They’re going to look ridicu--- er, great!” she snorted, walking off to laugh some more.

Sasha gave Katje a dark glare. “…You will die a thousand deaths for this,”

“Bite me,” Katje scoffed, walking off. “I look forward to your performance~”

Sasha’s temple throbbed. “Man, I HATE that brat…” Joshua sneered.

“Join the club,” Tasuku muttered.

~SnQ~

After having their costumes chosen, the boys encountered their girlfriends. “A karaoke competition?! REALLY?!” Tasuku questioned Mutsumi.

“Serves you right,” Mutsumi huffed, crossing her arms.

“Look, we’re sorry for humiliating you, but we didn’t know the mic was on!” Joshua stated… then pointed at Sasha. “And we didn’t know Sasha writes horrible poetry!”

“It doesn’t matter--- you all caused the chaos, you all pay the price.” Mafuyu responded. “And if you complain any further, we’ll keep adding to your humiliation!”

“If you’d just give me soma, maybe I wouldn’t---!” Sasha began to snap, but Joshua covered his mouth.

Mutsumi grinned, spotting a weak link; she whispered something to Tomo and Mafuyu, who giggled and nodded, and she turned back to the guys. “Maybe we can make this interesting for all of us…” she said with a cat-like grin. “How about a bet?”

The guys exchanged a look. “What kind of a bet…?” Tasuku asked.

“If you guys lose the competition, your humiliation will be furthered and you’ll have to wear cute animal costumes to school,”

“No deal, you slutty---“ Sasha began to snap, but once again his mouth was covered by Joshua.

“And if we win?” Joshua cut in.

“Then… we’ll sleep in bed with you guys.” Mutsumi replied, pushing up her breasts. “And you can have _all the soma_ you want…” she winked at Tasuku. “Maybe more in our case, Tasu-kun.”

Joshua slapped his hand over his mouth to stifle an excited yell, Sasha’s eyes widened, and Tasuku pumped his fists in the air. “HELL YEAH, YOU GOT A DEAL!” Tasuku exclaimed.

“In that case, you boys better get practicing!” Tomo giggled. “A lot of people signed up this afternoon, so you may have some competition!”

“Good luck… you’ll need it,” Mafuyu said with malice, and the three girls walked off.

The guys, once their minds cleared of perverted desires, froze when they realized what they just said.

The trio exchanged nervous glances. “We gotta go rehearse!” they said together, then ran off.

~SnQ~

With Teresa’s supervision, the guys went to the auditorium to practice… and that’s when they hit their first problem.

“So… what song are we going to sing?” Tasuku asked.

“It doesn’t matter… so long as it’s nothing by Rebecca Black, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, or Katy Perry.” Joshua replied.

“The way we’re dressing, we might as well sing ‘Lady Gaga’,” Sasha scoffed.

“Hey, I like Lady Gaga!” Tasuku exclaimed.

“We’re not singing Lady Gaga, either!” Joshua snapped. He began to pace. “Look, we have to think about this. The girls are mad at us, right? We should decide on a song that makes up for the things we’ve said, let them know how sorry we are, that we didn’t mean to hurt them, and we just want to make amends.”

“Dude, those are the lyrics from every boy-band song! Just because we’re dressing like we’re from the 90’s doesn’t mean we have to appeal to the entire generation!”

“You know what I mean!”

Teresa cleared her throat, walking over with a song-list. “Here is a list of some of their favorite artists. They all like songs from the American series, _Victorious.”_ She said.

“Great, more copyright strikes,” Sasha muttered.

“Man, why couldn’t they all like songs from _The Rocky Horror Picture Show?”_ Tasuku sighed.

“Hey, if it helps our chances, let’s choose a song.” Joshua looked through the list. “…I’ll try this one,”

He stepped up to the microphone, giving Teresa a nod. Turning on the karaoke machine, she typed in the song request, and Joshua began to sing.

_~“Are you listening?_

_Hear me talk, hear me sing_

_Open up the door,_

_Is it less, is it more?_

_When you tell me to beware,_

_Are you here, are you there?_

_Is it something I should know?_

_Easy come, easy go_

(nodding to the beat)

_Nodding your head, don’t hear a word I said_

_I can’t communicate_

_When you wait, don’t relate_

_I try to talk to you_

_But you never even knew_

_So what’s it gonna be?_

_Tell me can you hear me…?_

(The song began to pick up, and he attempts to dance)

_I’m so sick of it!_

_Your attention-deficit_

_Never listen—n-never listen_

(stumbles a bit)

_I’m so sick of it_

_So I throw a- (whoa!)-nother fit_

_Never listen, never listen_

_I scre-e-eam your name…_

_It always stays the same!_

(bumps into the mic)

_I scream and shou-ow-out!_

_So what I’m gonna do now_

_Is freak the freak out--- WHOA!_

_*thud!*_

Joshua lost his footing and fell on the stage. “Nice singing… choreography could use some work, though.” Tasuku chuckled. “..Also we’re not doing that song.”

Joshua stood, giving him a look. “Well lets see YOU do better!” he snapped.

“Gladly!” he handed Teresa his song-request. “Kick it, Teresa!”

_~”I had it all_

_The day you told me_

_Told me you want me…_

_I had it all_

_But let you fool me_

_Fool me completely_

(begins dancing *better than Joshua*)

_Yeah I was so stupid_

_To give you all my attention_

_Cuz the way that you played me_

_Exposed your true intentions_

_AND ONE DA-A-AY_

_I’ll have you begging on your knees for me!_

_Yeah one da-a-ay_

_I’ll have you crawling like a centipede!_

(points at self)

_You messed with me!_

(points at Joshua and Sasha)

_And messed with them_

_So you’re gonna get it in the end!_

_Yeah one da-a-ay…_

_I’ll… I’ll have you… begging…_

(looks up at stage lights, at rows of seats, begins to sway)

_O-On your… knees… going weak…!_

_*thud!*_

“Tasuku? Tasuku!” Joshua ran on stage, tapping him on the face. “Wake up!”

“Ugh… what happened…?” Tasuku asked, rubbing his head.

“You passed out on stage.” Teresa answered. “You did well… but suddenly you got dizzy.”

“Ah hah… yeah, i-it must have been something I ate… let me try again!” Tasuku stood up, only when Teresa started the song again, he found himself remaining still, noticing the eyes on him. The stage lights suddenly felt too warm. “Um… a-actually, I just remembered I hate this song! Sasha, you try next!” he quickly climbed off the stage, hurriedly pouring himself a glass of water and downing it in seconds.

Sasha sighed, climbing on the stage. “Do the next one on the list,” he told Teresa. Music began to play, and he sighed, beginning to sing…

_~”WHY am I always hit on_

_By the BOYS I never like_

_I can always SEE THEM coming from the_

_Left and from the right_

_I don’t wanna be a priss I’m just trying to be polite_

_But it always seems to bite me in the---“_

He was cut off by laughter, and glared down at Joshua and Tasuku. “What the heck was that?!” Tasuku chuckled.

“Sasha, you’re supposed to SING, not… whatever you were doing just now!” Joshua snickered.

“Shut up! This is my first time singing!” Sasha snapped.

“We can tell!” Tasuku exclaimed, falling back laughing. “You sing as good as Joshua can dance!”

“Hey…” Joshua sneered, ceasing his laughter.

“Sorry, dude, but it’s true. I’ve seen marionettes with more rhythm!”

“At least neither of us froze on stage!” Sasha scoffed.

“I-I didn’t freeze!”

“Oh please. You were so frozen, you should’ve sung ‘Let It Go’!” Joshua remarked.

“Dammit, Joshua! I just got that song out of my head!”

“A-HEM,” Teresa cleared her throat loudly, getting all their attention. “Need I remind you that each of you is under parole? If you continue to bicker, not only will you perform horribly on stage, but your sentence will be increased.”

Sasha sighed. “Right… right.” He rubbed his face. “First, let’s just decide on a song. We’ll work out the performance details afterward,”

“Yes. Remember, choose something that lets the girls know we’re SORRY,” Joshua emphasized.

“It should also be one that brings up their best qualities as well,” Tasuku concurred. “Like how smooth their skin is, or how gorgeous they are… I’m thinking ‘Born This Way’---“

“I said NO Lady Gaga!”

“I recommend a song that doesn’t involve talk about physical beauty,” Teresa spoke up. “Try to find one that talks about what you like about the girls, outside of their bodies.”

“Artists come up with songs like that all the time. It shouldn’t be too hard,” Sasha stated.

“Name ten,” Tasuku said.

Sasha pondered, but his mind was blank. “…I don’t listen to music that often. I just know what song writers come up with to sell music,”

Joshua paced. “What about something from Disney?”

“One: MAJOR Copyright strike. Two: I’ve never watched a single Disney movie in my life. And Three: Everyone will think it’s a cheap attempt to win.” Sasha replied.

Tasuku snapped his fingers. “Wait! Let me look at my playlist!” he took out his iPod, scrolling through it. “There’s some music on here I listen to in order to relax,”

Sasha rolled his eyes. “Teresa said nothing perverted!”

Tasuku paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath; it seemed he was mentally counting to 10, before responding. “…These are songs my mother and I used to listen to together. Not all of my music is about sex and women, you one-minded cynic!”

“What songs are they?” Joshua asked, looking at the playlist.

“Um, let me see… ‘My Heart Will Go On’… ‘My Kind of Lover’… ‘I Want You Back’ (that’s the ONLY boy-band song I have on there!)… ‘Numai Tu’ (it’s in Romanian, unless we can find the English version)… ‘La Bamba’… ‘Poetry in Motion’… ‘Duke of Earl’…”

“Wait! What about that one?” Joshua pointed at a song. “Let me hear it a minute,”

Tasuku nodded, letting Joshua listen to the song he pointed out. Sasha arched an eyebrow, wondering how the two could be so decisive about a song.

“…I knew it! Jita and I used to listen to this song all the time!” Joshua exclaimed. “It’ll be perfect to sing!”

“Alright then! Sasha, you have a listen, and tell us what you think.” Tasuku replied, offering an earbud to Sasha.

Sasha listened for two seconds. “Fine. We have a song.”

“You hardly listened to it!” Joshua scoffed.

“It doesn’t matter! We’re not listening to it, we have to sing it… and we’ve only got tonight and tomorrow to practice, so let’s get started already.”

Tasuku and Joshua exchanged sour looks. “This’ll be fun,” Tasuku deadpanned.

~SnQ~

After two hours of practice… the guys still needed a lot of work. At every attempt they made to perform, someone always goofed--- Sasha would botch a line, Joshua would trip or bump into someone/something, and Tasuku would have one of his ‘dizzy spells’ or freeze in the middle of a ballad.

Had Teresa not been supervising them, the boys would have started another quarrel over who was screwing up the most. After Joshua fell off the stage, Sasha’s throat grew sore, and Tasuku passed out for the 23rd time, the apprentice-nun finally said they should stop for the day. “We can practice tomorrow at 5 o’clock; Tasuku, after school tomorrow come to the Oribe residence for your training.”

“Yes, Teresa-chan,” Tasuku said, waving to the others as he made his way home. “See you guys tomorrow!”

The remaining trio walked home. Around back, Mafuyu and Tomo were practicing; Sasha paused for a beat, watching the purple-haired girl.

After some practice, she had acquired a Tessen (Japanese War Fan) as her weapon… and after some observation, he realized it was a good fit for her. It wasn’t too heavy, and she moved quite gracefully with it.

“Oi, Teresa.” Sasha said, walking inside. “…How did you come up with Tomo using a Tessen?”

“She picked it out herself. She had seen movies where a heroine would fight with one, and decided to give it a try. It took her a while to get the hang of it, Lizzie-san said, but she soon mastered it.” Teresa looked in the kitchen, watching as Joshua prepared a meal. “…Joshua-sama is a tougher case, however. He tries every weapon he sees, but either loses his balance, can’t lift it… or ends up hurting himself.”

Sasha looked into the kitchen; Joshua was dicing vegetables now… at a rapid pace. He watched how the older Qwaser handled the utensil. “…Why not a knife?” he suggested to Teresa. “He’s good with it in the kitchen.”

“I suggested that… but he claims simple cutlery would only help him so much,”

“I see.”

Teresa looked at him a moment. “Do you have any suggestions for him, Sasha-kun?”

“Yes… Stop being so picky,” Sasha then sat down at the table, resting his face on his arms.

Teresa only sighed, sitting down as well, deciding to focus calming her own mind of Sasha’s remarks for the rest of the day.

~SnQ~

That evening, Sasha didn’t go to bed right away; instead he stayed up to meditate a bit and clear his head. Joshua sat on the mattress, working on his homework.

There came a knock at the door, and Jan entered, a look of unease on his face. “Hm? What’s the matter, Jan?” Joshua asked quietly, cautious about disturbing Sasha’s meditation.

Jan handed him the note. Joshua looked at it once, then gave a firm not. “Sasha, I’ll be right back.” He then walked out with his little brother.

Sasha opened one eye in suspicion. Even though the two had slept in separate rooms prior, he still felt the need to keep an eye on the eldest Phrygianos sibling; Jita he didn’t worry about much due to her restricting crest, but Joshua always seemed to set off his mental alarms in everything he did--- even though he saw the Roentgenium User as weak and idiotic, he wasn’t letting his guard down for a second.

Moving quietly, he followed the two down the hall. In his mind, he imagined Jan was secretly working with the Adepts as a messenger, perhaps giving Joshua orders on what to do; or maybe the two brothers were planning something bigger on their own, perhaps searching for a long-lost power that would give them free-reign over everyone…

They entered Jan’s room…

Sasha watched from a crack in the door…

Jan… began to quietly sob, clinging to Joshua. “I know… I miss them too…” he whispered quietly, holding his younger brother tight. “It’s alright. I’m right here… you’re safe now… we’re safe…”

The Iron User stared. He watched for a long while, until Jan’s tears were dried, and the child lay back down, holding his brother’s hand. “Yes. I’ll stay until you fall back to sleep… and I’ll be around in the morning,” Joshua whispered, rubbing his head, sitting at his bedside as promised.

Sasha winced. _That’s what Olja used to do with me…_ he thought, backing away from the door and returning to the room.

He saw the note on the mattress, Joshua having left it there. Reading it, it all made sense to Sasha now…

_“I had a nightmare about the night our family died…”_

_…_

_Family?_ Sasha pondered. He recalled Tomo mentioning Joshua and his siblings were refugees with no parents… but Jan mentioned their _family_ dying. _…How big was their family, exactly? Father, mother, aunt, uncle? Were there more siblings he never told us about? Grandparents? Cousins? Where did they come from, exactly? And what happened?_

He paused a moment, realizing just how little he knew about the Phrygianos siblings’ history. All he knew were their powers, they were [once] associated with the Adepts, Jita was a pain and Joshua was an idiot.

In fact, did anyone know about his family? Did he inform Athos of his background? Did the dean know? He knew Joshua and his siblings’ tuition was being funded by Japan’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ program, and Miyuri constantly bought them things… but, in all actuality, perhaps even she didn’t know.

Question is… why would Joshua claim he had ‘so many’ wonderful siblings, when really the only ones everyone had seen were Jita and Jan?

He thought about questioning Joshua, calling him out on his secrets and demanding the truth…

He looked at the note again.

_“Our family died…”_

He bit his lip… then sat down on the bed, shaking his head. He knew from experience it was best not to bring up pains of the past. His continuous nightmares reminded him of that every single night.

Tonight. And the next night, no doubt… he only wondered when it would end.

~SnQ~

“So tomorrow is their performance, right?” Hana asked as she brushed Katje’s hair on the playground.

“Yeah… I look forward to seeing them fuck up,” Katje said with a smirk. “Wait until you see their outfits--- have a camera ready,”

“Pardon my speaking, master, but suppose they do well? I mean, I’ve seen the competition they’re going up against… and it’s clear no one at this school does well in choir,”

“Trust me… I have a plan set up to make sure they’re the lousiest ones on stage,”

Unbeknownst to the two, their conversation had been overheard.

~SnQ~

That Friday afternoon, Joshua stood out front with Teresa--- Sasha claimed he had to run inside for something and would be back out in five minutes. At this time, Tasuku came by. “Is training still on?” Tasuku asked.

“Yes, we’re just waiting on Sasha. Perhaps you and Joshua can practice techniques,” Teresa suggested.

“I’m… pretty bad.” Joshua confessed.

“I’m an expert, don’t worry.” Tasuku replied, motioning Joshua to mirror his movements. “It’s all about balance, speed, reflex, and agility. Kind of like dancing… only with weapons. What kind of weapon do you use?”

“I don’t have one chosen yet… but lets focus on this first.”

“Alright. …So, you were with the Adepts, ne? What kind of training did you have to do there?”

Joshua grimaced. “They never put me through training… they only used me as a punching-bag. My ‘techniques’ involved getting kicked in the face, punched in the gut, blasted with whatever-the-hell kind of power a Qwaser had… or being a target for one of Milk’s explosives.”

Tasuku cringed, recalling the Hydrogen User’s trick that left him and Mutsumi injured. “Damn! You sure your power isn’t endurance?”

“Don’t be so surprised. I was always out of commission every week!”

“Well… It’s high-time you got some REAL training. Follow my movements,”

Tasuku showed Joshua different karate-styles, helping him with his punches and kicks, and teaching him methods for maintaining balance. They then practiced one-on-one sparring, and he taught him how to block and defend, one key to watch his opponent’s every move, and how to fake out an enemy.

Sasha came out soon after. “Sorry I’m late, it took me a while to find this.” He said, carrying a case.

“What’s that?” Joshua asked.

Sasha held it up. “Your new weapon,” he opened the case, showing a pair of Hunting-Nata. “They’re special knives used in combat. Since you’re so good with slicing things in the kitchen, these should be easy for you to handle.”

Joshua picked them up, feeling them in his grasp. They were a bit heavy, but he felt he could grip them well. He stepped back, practicing a couple of the techniques Tasuku showed him--- not once did he lose balance, scrape himself, or lose his grip. “These are perfect! Thank you, Alexander!”

“Where did you find those?” Tasuku asked.

“Mafuyu collects weapons like this; she had them stored upstairs. I asked her if it would be alright if Joshua could borrow them, just to see how well he could use them,”

“These are great!” Joshua exclaimed again, doing an air-kick while wielding the knives.

“We’d… better make sure he handles them delicately,” Tasuku said, a bit cautious on how excited Joshua was with his new weapons.

The trio practiced their training. Sasha looked over at Teresa once… seeing a hint of pride in her eyes towards him.

After a while, she told them it was time to practice for tomorrow night. Joshua took the knives back in, handing them to Mafuyu. “Well? How did they work out?” she asked, a bit excited.

“Spectacular! …They were a little heavy, but I managed them well. Is it okay if I keep using them?”

“Sure… but be careful with them. They’re very valuable, we had them custom made years ago.”

“Oh, really? What are they made out of?”

“Well, my father felt like being eccentric… and with any eccentric person, he had to have at least one set of weapons made out of gold,”

“Gold? Huh.” Joshua rubbed his chin. Funny… he figured gold weighed heavier than that…

But, more on that later!

~SnQ~

Practice was once again… challenging.

Sasha still wasn’t hitting the notes right, and Tasuku once again froze. “I don’t think I’m going to make it tomorrow night…” he groaned.

Joshua led him backstage. “…Stage fright?” he guessed.

“What makes you say that?”

“It’s… pretty much obvious. Why do you freeze?”

“I… I don’t know. I do fine, until I realize I’m being watched. It’s like one mistake and I’m a laughing-stock… and… I’d lose my cool. I have a spitfire personality--- if I wasn’t in the spotlight back at the festival that day, I’d probably be lashing out on everyone who threw food at us!”

“Then don’t focus on making a mistake,” Sasha stated, walking forth. “Imagine it as a battle--- you never freeze up then. When we fought, you took everything in stride because of your confidence.”

“Yeah… and, even when you fought Jita, I heard you were determined to win!” Joshua added. “Don’t think about who’s all watching you or being laughed at… but keep in mind Mutsumi is watching you, and no doubt wants you to do your best--- just like in battle,”

“Heh, she probably wants to see me dressed as an animal even more, but alright.” Tasuku quipped.

“Also… we’re going to be on stage with you. And considering I can’t sing, Joshua can’t dance, and we’re all going to be wearing stupid outfits, looking like idiots is already crossed off the list.” Sasha added. The trio chuckled.

“Alright… as long as we’re ALL looking like idiots, I’ll try not to freeze up.” Tasuku replied.

“Then lets have at it,” Joshua said, and they resumed practice.

From that point, it went a little smoother.

~SnQ~

Mafuyu, Tomo, Mutsumi, Jita and Lizzie had decided to have a slumber-party that night, staying at Mutsumi’s home. “So… how are your Qwasers doing?” Mutsumi asked as they ate popcorn.

“They’ve been training hard. We finally found a weapon Joshua could use!” Mafuyu exclaimed.

“They’ve been so focused on practice, they haven’t once brought up soma.” Tomo added. “What about you, Mutsumi? Has Tasuku cracked?”

“Unbelievably, no. …I actually expected him to be peeping at us tonight, but instead he’s at home listening to music.” Mutsumi replied with a shrug.

“By the way, Mutsumi…” Lizzie asked. “You guys ‘did it’, right? Aren’t you worried about getting pregnant?”

Mutsumi shook her head. “Tasu-kun and I NEVER go that far! We play it safe--- I told him I don’t want to have children until this whole war is over…” she looked at the ground. “He was… very understanding. He actually cried, imagining me as a mother. H-He lost his a long time ago, so I guess he wants to make sure the world we live in is safe enough to bare children, so his child won’t have to suffer the hurt he went through.”

“Awwwwww,” all the girls (minus Jita) responded.

“…The world will never be a safe place for children,” Jita muttered. “Even if the Adepts are defeated and the war is over… there will still be danger.” She shut her eyes. “Trust me… I know.”

“Dang, what happened, Jita-chan?” Lizzie asked.

“I don’t wish to share,”

Tomo shifted, recalling Joshua’s story. The two siblings obviously went through a lot. “Do you… do you think we should lighten up on them?” she asked. “I mean… they said some hurtful things, but… we should forgive them, right? If we keep treating them like this, it might make them hate us…”

“We can’t back out of the deal now!” Mafuyu scoffed. “Sasha has got to learn a lesson!”

“But will having him be humiliated out of spite really teach anything?”

The girls paused, looking at Tomo. “What do you mean?” Lizzie questioned, eating popcorn.

“Retaliation isn’t the way to go… I mean, I didn’t tell Sasha about meeting a new Qwaser, but I never got punished. You heard him--- he claimed Joshua ‘took’ me from him… he’s still suffering from his Olja complex, and it’s going to take more than a month for him to get over it.”

Jita crossed her arms, looking at the ground sadly. “Yeah… my brother is the same way,” she admitted. “As big an idiot he is, he would go berserk if I went off with someone else.”

“He did compare me to a rose…” Mafuyu recalled.

“Pretty with a few thorns--- that does sum you up,” Lizzie said with a grin.

“But he didn’t have to make fun of our chests!” Mutsumi scoffed.

“Yeah… we do that to each other enough, ha ha!” Lizzie nudged Jita. “Am I right?”

“Leave me out of this,” Jita retorted.

“Aw, c’mon! We pancakes gotta stick together!”

“Mmm, pancakes sound good… Lets have them for breakfast tomorrow!” Tomo exclaimed.

“Eh, Tomo, I don’t think that’s what she meant… oh, never mind,” Mafuyu sighed.

“Hey, lets all compare breast sizes right now! With no boys around to peep at us, we can have a competition of our own~” Mutsumi said with a cat-like grin.

“How about, ‘NO’?” Jita sneered.

“Why? Scared you might lose?”

“I’m actually scared about being electrocuted by this frickin’ crest, smart-ass.” Jita poked her chest to make a point.

“Ooh, so you’d get turned on seeing our busts?”

“No, you’d probably molest me to the point of arousal, you little horn-dog,”

“See? We make fun of each other all the time!” Lizzie laughed.

“I see your point… kind of.” Mafuyu said, but shook her head. “But we can’t call off the competition--- even if we do forgive the guys, we can’t just let them drop out last-second. Big Ma’am would probably think they talked us out of it!”

“That is true… Alright. Then here’s what we can do,” Tomo said, then whispered her plan to everyone. “How does that sound?”

“Fine, I guess…” Mafuyu sighed.

“I’ll talk to Miyuri about it--- she won’t say ‘No’ to me!” Lizzie assured.

“Alright… here’s hoping my idiot brother and his idiot friends the best, just in case.” Jita said with a shrug.

“Great. …Now, about that breast-comparing---“ Mutsumi began to say.

“NO.”

~SnQ~

After such a long day of school, training and karaoke practice, Joshua was ready for a long night’s sleep…

Which was disturbed when he heard crying once more… this time, Sasha was stirring, sitting up. “Eh? Alexander?” Joshua whispered, watching as the Iron User got out of bed.

“No… I’m not weak… Stop…!” he was sobbing, sleepwalking… or, sleep-thrashing. He began to stumble around the room. “Shut up…! You abandoned me…! Olja… It wasn’t my fault…! Go away…! L-Leave me alone…!” he then staggered toward the window---

Gasping, Joshua acted quick and ran forth, wrapping his arms around Sasha and pulling back, both of them falling on the ground. “Alexander! Wake up!” he exclaimed, flinching when the younger Qwaser came to.

“J-Joshua…?! What the hell…?” Sasha stammered, pulling out of the Roentgenium User’s arms.

“Sasha… you were doing it again… you almost fell out the window,” Joshua pointed over.

Sasha blinked… in the nightmare, he was running, lost in the dark. This time, he felt like he had been bumping into things… “I was… sleepwalking?”

“Yeah…” Joshua bit his lip. “Sasha… please… tell me about this nightmare.”

Sasha looked away. “It’s just a stupid dream I keep having---“

“A ‘stupid dream’ that might end up killing you!” Joshua gripped him by the shoulders. “Stop being a hardass about this, Alexander Von Hell! If something in your dreams is bothering you--- ATTACKING you… making you cry at night… you have to tell someone about it! I don’t care if it’s Mafuyu or Teresa or Tomo--- if you keep it to yourself and hold it in… then you’ll never dream peacefully again.”

“Tch. How would you know?”

Joshua gripped his shoulders tight, looking him straight in the eye. “Because I still have dreams about the night villagers killed my parents and burned my house to the ground!” he snarled, tears forming in his eyes. “I have nightmares of carrying out my little brother and pulling my sister away from the flames, unable to save anyone else! I have nightmares of us wandering for days to find shelter, searching for a safe-haven, starving for days… and ending up having to settle with a group of sadistic, blasphemous bastards… I have nightmares where they find Jan and kill him just to see me cry… I have nightmares where Jita ends up killed… Fuck, I have nightmares where we all die, because I wasn’t strong enough…”

Sasha sat there, stunned. “Joshua…” he recalled the other night, reading the note. “…why didn’t you tell us the whole truth? You said you had a number of siblings to protect…”

Joshua only looked at the ground, his eyes shimmering with tears. “…you’re not the only one hanging on to the past, Alexander… I feel if anything happens to Jita or Jan, I’ll have no one… That’s why I have to get stronger. Not just for my siblings anymore… I want to protect everyone who took us in,” he looked out the window. “This place… it’s the only place that feels like a real home to us. I actually feel safe here. …I know no place is ever safe, but… this is as close as we’ve ever come since the night we lost everything.”

Sasha winced. He had the same feelings when Mafuyu and Tomo took him in…

“I…” he whispered, gripping his chest, unable on what to say in this moment. “I… I keep having nightmares about my parents. They abandoned me at that place… Olja was the only one who ever took care of me, a-and she was killed by Gold…” he began to tremble. “Every night…” a sob caught in his throat. “Ever since Tomo went with you, every night I’ve had nightmares where I hear my parents’ voices, telling me I’m a failure--- because I couldn’t protect Olja, and Tomo left me for someone stronger, and… I’m so small, I can’t fight back, so all I can do is run through the dark…”

Arms wrapped around him, holding him close. There was a quiet moment, as the silver-haired teen sobbed, allowing the black-haired teen to rub his back and head. “First of all…” Joshua said quietly. “Anyone who abandons their child lost their right to be called a parent. Second... you were a child when Olja died. There wasn’t anything you could do… she died to PROTECT you.”

Sasha sniffled. “Just like… Tomo said she’d rather die than see me in danger…”

Joshua squeezed him. “Tomo… felt like a burden. I told her she gave you and Mafuyu a reason to keep fighting, no matter what--- and if she died… you probably couldn’t keep fighting, because you’d feel like you failed. I was angry… when I said I would kill her for talking like that again… it was because her reason was stupid to me--- ‘I’m a burden, so please kill me,’… ‘How about I kill you for nothing?!’ …But I’ll never do that… never… I would rather die than kill someone I love…”

Sasha looked up at him. “And Olja?”

Joshua looked at him. “…She died for something. She died so you could live, so you could get strong, so you could keep fighting. And I know she doesn’t consider you a failure. You’ve protected Tomo and Mafuyu, as well as many others… Olja must be proud!”

“Then… why won’t the nightmares stop?”

“Because… you keep feeling like you’ve lost Olja again… but you haven’t. And Tomo didn’t give you up for someone stronger--- she decided to be my Maria to help ME get strong… which, lets face it, I need all the help I can get.”

Sasha sighed. “Yeah… you are pretty weak…” he thought for a moment. “But… your heart is strong. If we can get you as strong as that, then you’ll be able to defeat all the Adepts,”

“I look forward to that day. …You’ll keep helping me train, right? Even after our sentence is over?”

“You want to get strong, right? I’ll see to it you do.”

Joshua smiled, hugging him once more. “You’re a good friend, Alexander.”

Sasha hugged him back, albeit a bit awkward—he had never hugged another guy before. “T-Thank you, Joshua.” He cleared his throat, pulling back. “C’mon, lets sleep… we’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

“Right.”

The two crawled in bed, dosing off, hoping that--- by some miracle--- tomorrow would be better than their expectations would allow.


	4. Singing Songs and Moving On

~SnQ~

Sasha, Tasuku, and Joshua were outside training. They knew they needed to rehearse for the show tonight, but they still had to follow their punishments. (Sasha then wondered how the two students could handle all this AND schoolwork, as packed as their schedules were).

“Alright boys! We have 20 minutes left before rehearsals, so let's make this training count. Once we win that competition, all of the hardships and training will be worth with our Maria's in bed!” Joshua declared… earning some surprised looks from his comrades. “Uhh, not that way--- just sleeping.”

“Ha ha, maybe in YOUR case, but I’ve got plans for me and Mutsumi!” Tasuku said, beginning to swoon with hearts over his head. “Oh man, I can already feel snuggled in bed with my precious angel right now! Hey how about you Sasha?”

“Er, yeah,” Sasha replied, though his mind seemed to be drifting off elsewhere. For the moment, he didn't care about winning or losing--- after last night, what mattered to him was trying to get over his nightmares.

And he felt one solution was by training without soma. He was tired as he tried to balance his iron word. The challenge was he's trying to push himself to see if he can control his element in this state--- he had done his five hours of meditation, he felt he should have enough energy, but fatigue seemed to be creeping up on him.

Tasuku was the first to notice. “Hey Sasha, are you alright? You’ve been kind of quiet…” he said. Joshua watched the Iron User as well, but with more concern.

Their comrade appeared to be in a deep trance, his eyes staring ahead as if he were spacing out, looking as if his mind had gone blank.

“Alexander…?” Joshua said, waving a hand in front of his face. He looked at Teresa, who only shrugged in confusion, before looking back at Sasha.

He didn’t know what was happening inside that head of his… but he could imagine it involved those nightmares.

_“No matter how hard you try… you will never defeat the Qwaser of Gold,” the voice of Sasha’s father declared._

_“You’re better off dead… just like Olja!” his mother added._

_The young Sasha stood there, eyes shut… He was done running from the voices._

Sasha took deep breaths in and out, in and out. He had to separate his mind from his parent’s insults in his nightmares last night, and clear his head of these visions once and for all.

“Is he ok?” Tasuku whispered to Joshua.

“Yeah, I think so… he just has a lot to get over—ahh!” Joshua had been replying, when suddenly he dropped his Hunting-Nata. For some reason the handle of his blade burned his hand--- thankfully it only stung and there weren’t any signs of blistering. “What the hell…?”

Joshua barely touched his hunting knife when he feels his finger burns. He looks at his finger. It wasn't serious just stings.

“What happened, Josh-kun?” Tasuku asked.

“My sword felt like it was melting!”

“Let me see---ow!” Tasuku barely touched the knife. “Damn! That IS hot!”

They watched as suddenly the knives turned a bright red color, as if the blades had just been pulled out of a blacksmith’s furnace. “What in the world…?”

“Weird… Hey, Sasha, get a load of this!” Tasuku called, but got no response. “Er… Sasha? WHOA!”

Joshua looked back, only to see Sasha was active with the Red Cross on his face, a red aura glowing throughout his body. “A-Amazing!”

“Cool--- I mean, that’s crazy, but cool.” Tasuku replied. “Teresa! What’s he doing?”

“I believe he’s summoning more iron--- oh!” Teresa gasped (though her expression remained blank), looking around.

The two Qwasers followed her gaze. Around the field, metal bars were glowing the same color as Joshua's hunting knife. Then bits by bit the metal from the bars melted down, as well as the handle of Joshua’s blade… as well as a chain accessory Tasuku had on his jeans. “Ow! Whoa!” Tasuku cried, using his magnetism to tear the chain off before it burned through.

“A-Alexander… what are you doing…?” Joshua stammered, feeling a bit unnerved.

Sasha gave no response…

_“You… don’t know ANYTHING about my power!” the young Sasha snarled; even in his child form the red cross glowed on his face, the red aura around him brightening the darkness in a foreboding tone. “You abandoned me… left me for dead… But I’m still alive--- because of Olja! Because of Mafuyu and Tomo! Because of people I vow to protect… and I won’t fail.”_

_“Such big words from a weak child…” his mother sneered._

_“Weak, am I…?” suddenly his scythe was in his grasp; in the red dim glow, he made out the silhouettes of the people who abandoned him. “Tell me if this is weakness!” he then slashed at the shadows, hearing them screech._

_“You bastard! You dare strike your parents?!” his father snarled._

_Sasha raised the blade to his throat. “…You lost the right to be called parents the day you left me behind.” With one more swing, he sliced through his father._

_“Fool! You’ll never get Tomo back like this!” his mother shouted, only to be cut down next._

_Sasha stood there. In the blackness, his red light dimmed. ‘I may not get Tomo back… but I have to make things right.’_

…

While Sasha was having his mental debate, the others were growing worried--- namely because iron was swirling all around the Qwaser. “We have to do something--- if this keeps up, he’ll tear out all the iron in the city!” Tasuku stammered, ducking when an iron bar soared over his head. He then began to use his magnetism to try and control the swirling metals. “Dammit… he’s too strong!”

“Too strong…” Joshua repeated. He looked at his own hands, then at Teresa. “Teresa… I-I’m going to use my powers to weaken Sasha!”

“Be careful, Joshua-san,” Teresa, who had ducked in cover, replied with a confirming nod.

Joshua took in a deep breath. Three-and-a-half seconds, that’s all he needed… He began to summon his powers, focusing on Sasha…

…

Nothing happened. Sasha didn’t go weak…

He actually felt… different.

He looked down at his hands… seeing a yellow glow. Gasping, he stumbled back, hitting the ground. “Josh-kun! You okay, man?!” Tasuku gasped; neither he nor Teresa had noticed.

“I… I…” Joshua stammered, looking at his hands again, though the glow was gone. He clutched his head. “What is going on today?!”

“Sasha…” Teresa spoke up.

Everyone looked… seeing the red glow was fading, the melted iron was now on the ground, and Sasha stood there with his eyes closed, the red cross on his face gone. He opened his eyes, letting out a heavy breath. “Finally…” he whispered.

Cautiously, Tasuku and Joshua approached him. “What the hell, Hell?!” Tasuku exclaimed.

“Sasha… what WAS that?!” Joshua demanded. “You just… went blank, then began to melt iron and just--- stood there in a red tornado!”

Sasha rubbed his head, letting out a breath. “Sorry… I’ve been trying to clear my head all day.” He gave them a reassuring look. “I believe… everything is okay now. Yes… everything is okay.”

Tasuku blinked. “I-I’m lost here…”

“It’s… a long story,” Joshua sighed. “We’ll explain later,”

Teresa walked over, resting her hands on Sasha’s shoulders. “Are you sure you’re alright, Sasha?” she asked.

“Yes. I feel like I can think more clearly now,” Sasha said with relief. “Shall we get on with training?”

“Probably not…” Joshua picked up the remains of his blades. “Unless you want to reforge the handles of my knives!”

“It is almost time for your rehearsal anyway,” Teresa spoke up, looking at her watch.

“Might as well get going… we still need to change into our ‘outfits’,” Tasuku sighed.

“Right… let’s get it over with,” Sasha replied.

“Let’s give them a show they’ll never forget, is more like it!” Joshua exclaimed.

“To ze stage!” Tasuku declared.

~SnQ~

At the school that evening, the guys were surprised to see Mafuyu, Mutsumi, Tomo, Lizzie, and Jita standing backstage. “Let me guess, you wanted to make sure we were going to show up?” Sasha quipped.

“Actually, we’re participating as well,” Tomo beamed.

“You are??” Tasuku questioned, then gave a look. “…you girls are just determined to see us lose, aren’t you?”

“Nahh, we were actually drafted.” Lizzie scoffed. “One of the participants ended up catching the flu and dropped out yesterday; Miyuri had us all sign up to fill the slot,”

“All of you? Why not just one…?” Joshua questioned, mostly bewildered that Jita had even considered partaking in the activity.

“Because that pink-haired priss is a spoiled brat, that’s why.” Jita muttered.

“We’ve been rehearsing all day… let’s hope it was enough,” Mafuyu sighed.

“Girls! You’re up!” one of the teachers, working as a stage-manager, called.

“Well, wish us luck!” Mutsumi exclaimed, as she and the rest of the girls walked out.

“By the way… nice outfits.” Lizzie quickly quipped to the guys before hurrying out.

The guys stood back, watching the performance with interest.

The girls began to sing, as a soft melody played…

_~”I will follow Him…_

_Follow Him wherever He may go…_

_And with Him I always shall be…_

_For nothing can take me away_

_He is my destiny._

_I will follow Him…_

_Ever since He touched my heart_

_I knew…_

_There isn’t an ocean too deep_

_Or mountain so high that can keep.._

_Keep me away…_

_Away from His…_

_Love…~_

There was a beat as--- before the audience thought it was time to applaud--- the music picked up and the girls began to dance!

_(All)_

_~”I love Him! (x3)_

_And everywhere He goes_

_I’ll Follow (x3)~”_

_-Tomo- (with others)_

_~”I will follow Him,_

_Follow Him wherever He may go_

_There isn’t an ocean too deep_

_Or mountain so high that can keep_

_Keep me away…_

_(Together, Together, Together)_

_-All- (Lizzie and Mutsumi)_

_~”I will follow Him_

_(Follow Him!)_

_Follow Him wherever He may go_

_(Ooh, ooh-ooh oooh)_

_There isn’t an ocean too deep_

_(Too deep!)_

_Or mountain so high it can keep_

_Keep me away…_

_Away from his love…!_

_-Mafuyu- (others)_

_~”Oh whoa-oh_

_Yes I love Him_

_(I’ll follow!)_

_You know I’m gonna follow_

_(True love!)_

_He’ll always be my true love!_

_(Forever!)_

_From now until forever!_

_(I love him x3)_

_Yes I love him_

_(I’ll follow x3)_

_I’m gonna follow, oh oh!_

_(True love x3)_

_He’ll always be my tru-ue love!_

_(Forever x3)_

_From now until forever…!_

_-All- (Mafuyu)_

_~”There isn’t an ocean too deep_

_(Too deep)_

_Or mountain so high it can keep_

_Keep me away_

_(Nothing can keep me away!)_

_Away from his…_

_-Together-_

_~”Loooooooooooooove!”~_

The music ended… and the whole crowd cheered! Backstage, the guys were beyond impressed. “YEAH! THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND AND LITTLE SISTER OUT THERE! WOO!” Joshua was exclaiming.

“MUTSUMI, I LOVE YOU…!” Tasuku was shouting over the roaring crowd.

The girls bowed to the audience, then walked backstage. “Mafuyu… I…” Sasha spoke up, catching her attention. He rubbed the back of his neck. “…I didn’t know you could sing…”

“You never asked,” Mafuyu quipped. She smiled, patting him on the shoulder. “Good luck out there, Sasha.”

“T-Thank you.” Sasha watched them go.

“Oh man… how are we going to beat that? They had the crowd eating out of their hands! I swear I saw a few guys dancing in the aisle!” Tasuku whispered.

“This is no time to get cold feet now, Tasuku!” Joshua told him, giving him a good shake.

“Boys, you’re up!” the stage-manager called.

“Well… here goes nothing,” Sasha stated, as the guys walked on stage.

The moment the spotlight shined on them, the audience burst into laughter. “Nice outfits!” one guy shouted.

“Hey, 1999 called, it wants its outfits back!” a girl hollered.

“My eyes!” someone shrieked, as the colors blinded her. “Someone dim the stage lights! I’m blind!”

“I’m colorblind and even I can see that!” another boy quipped.

While the audience was laughing, Jan was sitting in the front row… looking up and seeing two figures up on the catwalk. Sneaking out of his seat, he made his way up, spying on them.

Those figures were Hana and Katje. “Katje-chan, should we really do this? I mean, the guys are already being laughed at… especially in those costumes!” Hana chuckled.

“Trust me… there’s no one who loves to punish others more than I do,” Katje said with a smirk. “And I want to make sure their punishment will be one never to be forgotten.” She looked down at the control panel. “I altered the copper wiring, so when they try to sing, their voices will be high-pitched!”

“Excellent!” Hana took out her phone, recording everything. “This is going all over Youtube!”

Jan scowled, then climbed down. Looking around, he found Jita and hastily wrote her a note. “…So that’s what she’s up to,” his sister said to herself. She looked over at the control panel, hurrying over while making sure Katje wasn’t looking, and quickly adjusted the auto-tune settings.

“Alright, that’s enough!” one of the teachers exclaimed over the laughing crowd. “Let the competition continue!”

The three boys took deep breaths… then began their song.

_Sasha:_

_~”I-I like… where we are…_

_When we drive… in y-your car…_

_I like, where we are… here..~_

As the instrumental part played, a few giggles were heard; Sasha’s singing hadn’t improved much. “Sasha,” Joshua whispered to him. “Let me sing… You do back-up vocals and dance,”

“What--- um, alright,” Sasha responded quietly.

“Why aren’t their voices changing?” Katje snarled, looking to mess with the control panel again…

A breeze suddenly blew her skirt over her face, and she stumbled back into Hana! When Katje sat up… a sandbag fell on her head, knocking her out. “Er… Master?” Hana asked, then looked around, not noticing Jan and Jita over by some ropes.

At this point, it was time for the lyrics.

_Joshua:_

_~”Cuz our lips_

_Can touch_

_And our cheeks_

_Can brush_

_Our lips_

_Can touch_

_Here…~_

Joshua began to dance, but lost his footing… but Tasuku caught his hand, swirling him around in order to cover up the fluke, while taking over the vocals.

_Tasuku:_

_~”For you are the one_

_The one who lies close to me_

_Whispers, ‘Hello, I’ve missed you quite terribly’_

_I fell in love_

_In love with you so suddenly_

_Now there’s no place else_

_I could be, but_

_Here in your arms…~_

More instrumental notes began to play. “Psst, Josh-kun, just act like we’re training!” Tasuku whispered. “Doing techniques and dancing are more similar than you think,”

“We really should have covered all this in our last rehearsal!” Joshua sighed, but went along with it.

_-Joshua-_

_~”I like_

_Where you sleep…_

_-Joshua and Sasha-_

_~”When you sleep_

_Next to me~_

_-Sasha-_

_~”I like_

_Where you sleep_

_Here~_

_(begins to dance in the middle)_

_-Joshua and Tasuku-_

_~”And our lips_

_Can touch_

_And our cheeks_

_Can brush~_

_-Tasuku-_

_~”I like_

_Where you sleep…~_

_*freezes*_

_-Sasha-_

_(taps Tasuku from behind)_

_~”Here…~_

_-Joshua-_

_(doing techniques)_

_~”For you are the one_

_The one who lies close to me~_

_(spins Tasuku)_

_-Tasuku (with Sasha)-_

_~”Whispers, (‘Hello_

_I’ve missed you quite terribly’)~_

_-Tasuku and Joshua-_

_(while Sasha dances)_

_~”I fell in love_

_In love with you suddenly_

_There is no place_

_No place I could be, but_

_Here in your arms…~_

There were more instrumentals as the guys all danced through them… mainly doing techniques they had practiced while training, though the audience didn’t really see the difference. A few were still chuckling at Sasha’s vocals and Joshua’s clumsiness, but the laughter had died down quite a bit.

_Tasuku:_

_~”Our lips_

_Can touch…~_

_(dances)_

_-Sasha and Joshua-_

_~”Our lips_

_Can touch…~_

_-Sasha-_

_~”Here…~_

Katje sat up, seeing that her rival was doing well on stage. Growling in frustration, she looked toward the control panel, preparing to manipulate it…

Another gust of wind, this one blowing her long pigtails around her face and making her stumble and fall down the stairs, getting tangled in some ropes! “Where are these breezes coming from, anyway?!” Hana questioned.

“Get me down, you idiot!” Katje snarled.

“Um, yes master…” Hana said… though decided to take her time, as seeing her master in a bound state caught her interest. “In a moment…”

“Hana!”

On stage, the boys began to finish up their number.

_Joshua:_

_“~For you are the one_

_The one who lies close to me”_

_Tasuku:_

_~”Whispers, ‘Hello_

_I’ve missed you quite terribly’_

_Joshua:_

_~”I fell in love_

_In love with you suddenly_

_Now there’s no place_

_No place I could be but_

_Here in your arms_

_All:_

_~”For you are the one_

_The one who lies close to me_

_Whispers ‘Hello, I’ve missed you’_

_(I’ve missed you)_

_I fell in love_

_In love with you suddenly_

_Now there’s place I’d rather be_

_Than here in your arms…_

_-Joshua-_

_~”Here in your arms…~_

_-Tasuku-_

_~”Here in your arms…~_

_-Sasha-_

_~”Oh here in your arms~_

The song ended and the crowd applauded… not as hard as they did when the girls sang, but at least no one was laughing or throwing stuff, which was a plus.

As the guys walked off stage, the girls ran up to them. “That was great, guys! …I mean, you botched a few things, but way better than what I was expecting!” Lizzie complimented.

“Oh, Tasuku, you got over your stage-fright! I’m so proud of you!” Mutsumi exclaimed, hugging her boyfriend.

“You’re a great singer, Joshua-chan!” Tomo added. “And Sasha, you were great with your dance moves!”

“Not bad… for a trio of idiots,” Jita said, though smiled. Jan was giving two thumbs-up.

“Thanks… though…” Joshua scratched his head. “I think something was off about the mic. It sounded like it was auto-tuned…?”

“Yeah, and I was hearing yelling from backstage near the end,” Tasuku added.

Jan and Jita peeked over, seeing Katje wrestling with the ropes, while Hana sat and watched with a horny expression. “…Must have been some feedback problems,” Jita said with a shrug.

“You guys did well… though we’ll see who’s the winner,” Mafuyu said.

“Obviously… it’s going to be you,” Sasha said humbly, turning to her. “You girls only had 1 day to practice, and pulled off everything gracefully. We had three days and still got a few things wrong,”

“Sasha the Martyr admitting defeat?! The apocalypse has begun!” Lizzie joked.

“And here are the results!” Miyuri announced on the stage. “In third place--- obviously--- are Sasha, Joshua, and Tasuku!”

“…Told ya,” Sasha sighed.

“In second place… Mafuyu, Tomo, Lizzie, Jita, and Mutsumi!”

“What?!” the whole crowd exclaimed, bewildered.

“And the winner of our karaoke contest is…!” there was a drum-roll, before Miyuri announced. “The Drama Club and their rendition of ‘Bad Romance’!”

Everyone watched as the school’s Drama Club went on stage and collected their prize.

“...No ‘Lady Gaga’, huh?!” Tasuku sneered at Joshua.

~SnQ~

After the karaoke competition, the school hosted a reception as a proper conclusion to the Spring Festival.

During this time, Katje sat brooding at the table. “I don’t get it… someone had to have interfered!” she groused.

“Perhaps it was just bad luck…?” Hana guessed.

“Shut up, idiot, and go grab me some cake! It will make up for your incompetence tonight!”

Hana did so, leaving her master to wallow in a sour mood. There was another breeze… as a paper airplane landed in front of Katje. There was something written on it:

_“Mess with my family again, and there will be punishment even your fucked-up slave wouldn’t enjoy!”_

_(pencil-drawn hand flipping her the bird)_

Katje crumpled the note, looking around. “Who’s doing this?!” she snarled.

Beyond her near the back, Jan stood casually by the table… folding a napkin into an airplane; making sure no one was watching, he used his power to make it fly into the trash-can. “…I thought you were keeping subtle,” Jita said, standing by him; he shrugged. “…Just lay low. You may have made a powerful enemy,”

Jan nodded. Seeing his brother, he ran over to him.

Enemy or not, the youngest sibling knew someone had to look after his big brother, just like he had done for them.

~SnQ~

It was close to midnight when everyone made it home. “Well… as of Monday, it’s nothing but bunny-garb for the week,” Joshua sighed.

“I swear if anyone drops any ‘pussy’ jokes while I’m a cat…” Sasha muttered.

Tomo and Mafuyu giggled. “Actually, guys… we decided you should be spared that humiliation,” Mafuyu said.

“Huh??” the two questioned, surprised.

“We decided to lighten up on your punishment. And since tonight marks the final day of your month-long punishment, we decided you can have soma!” Tomo declared.

“YOU GIRLS ARE _ANGELS_!” Joshua exclaimed, hugging Tomo.

“So… we don’t have to wear animal costumes?” Sasha asked.

“Oh, you still have to… but we made sure more people would do it too!” Mafuyu said.

“Lizzie called Miyuri, she said it would be a great way to raise awareness for endangered animals. …Miyuri said she would only do it if we all sang in the competition.” Tomo said with a smile.

“But why would all the students do it?” Joshua questioned.

“Easy--- whoever dresses as an animal will get a thirty-percent raise in their grade for the week,” Mafuyu said.

“…Can she authorize that?” Sasha questioned.

“Well the Dean thought it was a good idea, so I guess so.”

“T-Thank you… thank you both, very much!” Joshua said, giving a humble bow. “This week has been a nightmare… thank you for having mercy on us!”

“Yeah… now let’s get some sleep, huh? It’s been a long month for me,” Sasha said.

The boys walked to their room… being followed by the girls. “Hm? Is something wrong?” Joshua asked.

“No… we just figured… we could sleep with you guys tonight. Even if you lost the competition,” Tomo said, blushing.

“R-Really?” Sasha replied, surprised.

“Yeah… we want to put everything behind us, and make up for putting you through so much,” Mafuyu sighed.

Sasha stared, then shook his head. “…No. If anyone should apologize, it should be me. Tomo… I understand why you kept your secret, but… well, it’s because I hardly trust people. You gave Joshua a chance when no one else would, and… and you’ve gotten stronger after taking him as your Qwaser. I was scared of losing you, worried that I had failed my job in protecting you. …Now I see I should have done more to make you stronger, not shelter you, and I ask for you forgiveness. I… I’m going to miss having you as my Maria,”

Tomo winced, smiling and hugging him. “It’s alright, Sasha… At least now I can help you protect everyone!”

Sasha hugged her back, then turned to Mafuyu. “I… also want to apologize for my behavior. Ever since this month began… I… I didn’t want to get close to anyone. Nightmares kept haunting me, I was losing sleep, and… I wanted to be alone, but at the same time wanted someone around, and… I let my inner-conflict get the best of me and took it out on you… I’m sorry, Mafuyu. I promise, from this moment forth, I’ll be a better friend towards you.”

“It’s alright, Sasha… and I’ll be less of a bitch to you, too. But… I want to do more activities together, not just---“ she began to say.

“Soma, I know. After hearing you sing… I realized there’s so much about you I still want to learn. M-Maybe tomorrow… we can try going on a date again?”

Mafuyu blushed, taken aback. “…Who are you, and what have you done with Sasha?”

“Let’s make it a double-date!” Tomo exclaimed, linking her arm with Joshua’s.

“Sounds good to me,” Joshua agreed.

“Right… but for tonight--- sleep.” Sasha yawned.

The four of them crawled into the bed; due to the small space, they ended up using each other as body pillows--- Sasha resting against Mafuyu, and Tomo against Joshua.

Mafuyu expected Sasha to try suckling her breasts as he normally did… but to her surprise, the Qwaser immediately drifted to sleep. There was a smile on his lips, looking as if he was finally having a peaceful dream…

_A young Sasha stood, this time surrounded by light… and before him stood Olja. “Alexander… I’m so happy for you,” she said, hugging him. “You’re growing so much… I’m so proud,”_

_“Olja… I… I miss you,” he sniffled, hugging her._

_“It’s okay, Alexander. I’ll always be with you… just look after your new family, okay?”_

_“Family…” It had been a while since Sasha felt familiar with that word. He and Olja let go, and he watched her walk toward a pair of golden gates… beyond them were four other children, all who seemed to have familiar features to the Phrygianos children. “Are those… Joshua’s siblings?”_

_Olja smiled. “We’ve been hanging out a lot. I figured, since their big brother is helping my little brother, I could spend time with his little siblings. …Now, you two take care of each other!”_

_“W-We will…! B-Bye, Olja…! I love you!”_

_“I love you too, Alexander…”_

Joshua looked at Sasha, relieved to see him so relaxed in his slumber. “…looks like the nightmares are finally over with,” he whispered, while stroking Tomo’s head--- his girlfriend also fell asleep immediately, cuddled against him.

“You knew he was having nightmares?” Mafuyu asked him in a hushed tone.

“Yeah… he finally told me about them last night,” Joshua reached over, pulling the blanket up over Sasha’s shoulder before rubbing his head. “Turns out… we’ve both been through a lot. At least now we know we’re safe… we’re home.” He then closed his eyes, ready to drift off as well.

Mafuyu hugged Sasha, planting a soft kiss on his forehead. “I’m glad…” she closed her eyes next, drifting off.

…

Outside the door, Jita listened. _Home…_ she thought, not sure how to feel… though, deep in her heart, she wanted to make sure her family was safe. That’s why she joined the Adepts--- she thought they were unstoppable…

She heard footsteps, seeing Jan coming down the hall. He paused, showing her a note--- he couldn’t sleep because ‘Tasuku and Mutsubo were being loud’ again. She chuckled, rubbing his head. “C’mon, Jan, you can stay in my room tonight,” she said, guiding him down the hall. “Tell me… do you like it here? Do you like everyone?”

Jan nodded vigorously. He handed her another note. ‘Do you?’

Jita paused a bit. The Adepts were strong, and would have her head if she dared switch sides…

But, as Sasha, Joshua and their friends had proved, there was something much stronger they could rely on. It was their strength that brought the heathens she had worked with to their knees countless times… and it was because of them her brother could find peace, knowing they were safe.

“Yes… I like it here,” she replied.

With that, the household fell quiet, a peaceful night’s sleep finally finding its way to those under its roof.

**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And there’s the ending to yet another Seikon no Qwaser fic. Big thanks to Dinobot King for all his help on this, including details I was never informed of (such as Joshua and Sasha’s past, Mutsumi’s name) as well as suggesting what kind of weapon Tomo could use, how this whole plot began and… well just give him a big hand, folks! *claps*
> 
> Songs used are:
> 
> -Freak the Freak Out, Begging on Your Knees, and Take A Hint (Victoria Justice)
> 
> -I Will Follow Him (Sister Act OST)
> 
> -Here In Your Arms (Hellogoodbye)
> 
> Cameo shout-outs are from: Persona 3, Black Butler, Cowboy Bebop, Youtube Gamers (Markiplier, PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye), and Kingdom Hearts. *All Rights Belong To Respected Owners*
> 
> Thank you once again for reading our story! Please leave a review… but no flames, we worked hard on this.


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